Psychedelic Life
by Says The Schizophrenic
Summary: AU“So what your basically saying is that Bella, Thee Bella Swan, wanted to bang you, and you turned her down?” Jasper asked calmly. I closed my eyes and groaned.ALL HUMAN!Its Very Original. And Funny.Pot smokers.All original pairs,MY BEST STORY YET!
1. ONE

**I do not own Twilight, Stephenie does -.- (So unfair...)**

_Okay, I just want to say, that this is probably the best story I have ever written. I started working on this before Christmas in 2008, and I was hesitant about posting it now, because it's not done yet, and I'm still not done with 'Nerd', but I just can't wait any longer. I have never had so much fun writing a story before, and I hope all of you will enjoy reading it as much as I liked writing it._

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Age 7 - Edward POV

I knew she was around here some place, I could just feel it. I pushed my glasses further up my nose and glanced out of the bush I was hiding behind.

"_Gotcha_!" Someone yelled from behind me, and I froze up at once, knowing who it was. Isabella Marie Swan. Bella for short.

She grabbed the back of my collar and dragged me out of the bushes, me kicking and screaming all the way. I'd always been small, but my mom, Elizabeth, said that dad was small too when he was little, so I would grow out of it soon.

Bella pushed me to the ground and sat down on my stomach. She punched my chest once, hard, making me flinch.

"You _tattled_ on me! And now I'm grounded for forever and all of eternity! I _told_ you not to say anything you little sneaky sneak! You weren't even suppose to be there!" She yelled at me, catching the attention of the others on the playground. They came running towards us, everybody quiet to see what would happen next.

I looked away, ashamed. I didn't have many friends in school, so I'd followed her and her friends down to old Mr. Clawingtons house. He was a creepy old man who hated kids and weren't afraid to use his rifle to scare us away.

Bella's friends, James, Tyler and Mike had dared her to go into his house and steal something and hurry out again. Bella, always one up for a challenge, went along with it. She didn't know I was there. None of them did.

James and the others were sitting outside of the fence, so if the old fart came limping out of his house, they could run and hide into the huge forest right behind them. While Bella was suppose to go between the sprinklers, seeing as she was skinny enough to do so.

I was hiding up in a tree, looking down on them. I saw when Bella snuck into the house and took something from the table. I saw, and heard, when she started screaming and laughing and came running out the door, the old man limping as fast as he could. James and the others ran into the woods as soon as she started laughing, scared and only thinking about themselves. As fast as my short limbs allowed me, I climbed down from the tree and hid behind it, making sure she came out of there safe and sound.

The old man had stopped, and was now aiming after her with his gun. Everybody in Forks knew that it was only filled with big black pepper corns, but it still hurt like hell. Or so I've been told.

Bella ran as fast as her short legs could carry her, laughing loudly as the old man shot after her. I couldn't understand how she could laugh at a time like this. Why wasn't she scared? I was scared, and nobody knew I was even there.

"Get back here you little brat! That candy box is _mine_!" The old man yelled, firing off another shot. It hit the back of her thigh, making her fall. I felt my breath hitch. He was going to catch her. This was almost too much for my little seven year old body to handle.

But, being Bella, she got up without even shedding a tear and started running again.

"You have to do more than that to catch me you old fart!" She yelled as she slipped through the fence and into the woods. I stared running too, not wanting to be seen. I didn't want anything to do with this. This wasn't right. She'd stolen something, and my mom and dad said that was wrong. I knew it was wrong too.

But I stumbled on a branch and scraped my knee. I had to hold back tears, because it really, _really_ hurt. Bella heard me fall and the next thing I know she was sitting in front of me, her big, pretty brown eyes staring down at me with a mix of anger, concern and confusion.

"Edward? What are you doing here?" She whispered, glancing around to make sure the old man wasn't following her. Before I could answer, she slipped a candy with blue wrappers into my hand.

"I, I just wanted to see what you guys were doing, I heard you talking in school today and-"

"You eavesdropped on us? That's not nice! My mom says that its really bad to do, and that only bitches and skanks are eavesdroppers, and then she asks me if I'm a bitch." Bella said, her brows furrowed.

"What's a bitch?" I asked, forgetting about my knee and the sticky situation I was in, because I'd never heard that word before. Bella scratched her head and shrugged.

"I don't know. But I know that the lady at the supermarket is one, and that our neighbor, Miss. Willowstone is one and a bunch of other lady's. But that's not the point, you shouldn't do it, its rude, and it will get you in trouble." She said firmly. I stared at her in wonder. I'd never talked this much with Bella Swan before. She was a lot prettier up close, that's for sure.

"I'm sorry, I just wanted to be friends with you guys." I admitted, looking down at my bleeding knee.

"Well you can't, because your not nice. And you never saw us here, got it? I will beat you up if you tell _anybody_." Bella said seriously, pointing a short finger in my face. I nodded my head over and over again, clutching my knee.

"Y-yeah, okay." I nodded. She nodded to and got up off the forest floor, before she started running further into the woods, which eventually led to the small town called Forks.

-X-

Bella punched my chest again, looking really annoyed. I realized that I hadn't answered her.

"I, I tried not to say anything b-but I'm not a g-good liar!" I managed to stutter out. If possible, her eyes got even more furious.

"Your lying right _now_! You wanted me to get in trouble because I said that you couldn't play with us! Even a monkey could keep his mouth shut about what happened, its simple! No body forced you to say _anything_, you just came clean and told on me!" She said furiously, her pale cheeks flushing red in her anger.

"I'm sorry!" I said meekly in my tiny thin voice. Bella wasn't one to break her promises, that was for sure. She started hitting, biting and scratching before the teacher came and ripped her of off me.

"Don't ever talk to me again Edward! I hate you!" She yelled as the teacher, Mr. Tool carried her off the playground and into the school. Another teacher came and helped me into the nurses office.

My nose was bleeding and my lower lip was swollen up into a pout, and my glasses were broken. My sweater was slightly ripped open and my shoulder was bleeding a little from where she'd scratched me, and I had a bite mark on my neck. To put it simple, I looked like someone who crossed Bella Swan's path.

"My oh my, what did you do to that girl?" The nurse asked me as she started to clean me up. None of my cuts were deep and the nose had only been hit hard, but it wasn't broken. I looked down and sniffled slightly.

"I kind of tattled on her. But I didn't mean to, honest! I'm just not use to lying to my parents, so when I tried, I couldn't do it!" I said hurriedly, desperate for someone to believe me. I honestly hadn't tried to tattle on her. The nurse smiled warmly at me.

"I believe you, Edward, don't worry. Your mother will be here soon, and so will Bella's mother." She said the last part with a frown, and I wondered why. I'd seen Bella's mom many times before, because she always had to pull Bella out of school because of her starting fights. I smiled at the thought of my mother coming.

"Here, have a lollypop until your mom comes." She said, smiling sweetly at me. I thanked her and unwrapped my lollypop, sucking on it happily.

Ten minutes later, my mom came rushing in.

"Oh Edward, I heard what that horrible little girl did to you, are you okay honey?" I nodded, hugging her tightly back, because her hugs were the best thing in the world.

"Come on, lets go talk with Isabella and her mother." mom said with an angry face. She hardly ever used it, but it always scared me when she did.

"Okay." I said quietly, taking her hand as she led me out of the nurses office and into the principals office across the hall. The principal was a short, bald and ugly man with a huge mustache, making it wiggle every time he talked.

Bella and her mom was sitting on two chairs already, and there were two more for me and my mom to take. I sat down beside Bella and looked up at her mother.

If I thought my mom was scary when she had her angry face on, it was nothing against Bella's mom. She looked down right terrifying. She had an angry scowl on her tired, young face. She actually looked too young to be anyone's mother, but she was Bella's. They actually looked alike, only Bella was prettier. Her mother looked tired and worn out, with an unhealthy pale face that was too thin.

"Can we get on with this please, I have a job I would like to keep." Bella's mom snapped, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"Yes, of course. Your daughter has once again beaten up another child at our school. If you cannot control her-" The principal started, but Mrs. Swan cut him off.

"Excuse me, isn't it _you_ who are suppose to control all these brats? I do my part at home, you do your part here at school. I can't yell at her when I'm not there, so don't give me bullshit like that." She snarled, her eyes going into slits. I flinched at her tone, not used to anyone being this harsh before. Bella looked over at me and smirked, mouthing the word _'wimp'_ at me before staring down at the floor again.

"Could you please control your language, there are small ears in this room." My mom said, eyeing me and Bella pointedly. Mrs. Swan rolled her eyes angrily.

"Whatever. The point is, I can't keep coming down here every time she does something. I have to keep my job. Can't you just put her in a room or something? I don't care, just, stop calling me. Bella, stop being a brat and behave yourself, grow up and get yourself a back bone. God, how old are you?!" Her mom yelled, throwing her hands up in frustration.

Bella's eyes narrowed.

"I'm seven." She snapped, looking down at the floor. Mrs. Swan's eyes widened in surprise.

"But you just turned _six_!" She said, honestly surprised now. I heard my mom breathe hard through her nose and knew she was angry. Mrs. Swan looked away with a thoughtful look on her face.

"When did that happen?" She mumbled to herself.

"Two weeks ago, _Renèe_." Bella snapped, jumping out of her chair and running out the door. There was a long silence in the room where Bella's mom put her face in her hands.

"Damn." She muttered, rubbing her eyes. The principal looked at her with disapproving eyes.

"Well there's no wonder she act's the way she does! She's just crying out for attention! How can you forget your own child's birthday?!" My mom yelled at her, standing up. I'd never seen her act like this before. Mrs. Swan stood up quickly, balling her hands into fists.

"Don't you dare look down on me you gold digging little _bitch_! You don't know anything about me, my life, or my family. So don't you _dare_, even for a second, judge me!" She yelled, picking up her old brown leather purse and stalking out of the office, yelling at Bella to go get her stuff.

"I am _so_ sorry about all of this Mrs. Masen. We don't really know what to do about that woman. Or her daughter, for that matter." The principal said, frowning. My mom nodded her head, too angry to talk.

"I understand. Goodbye." She said shortly, throwing him a disgusted look before she grabbed my hand and walked out of the office quickly, muttering to herself under her breath.

I was really confused. Why was her mom so mean? And so angry? It didn't make any sense to me. I gathered my stuff and hurried after my mom to the car. On the way out of the school parking lot, I could see Bella and her mother sitting on the buss stop, her mom yelling at her about something and Bella yelling right back at her. She was even pretty when she was mad…

"I'm sorry you had to hear all that honey. But I want you to forget every bad word that woman used and never, _ever_ repeat them. Okay?" My mom asked me gently, stroking my red locks away from my forehead. I nodded, pushing my broken glasses up my nose.

"Why was her mom so mean?" I asked in a quiet voice. I was always quiet, and that's probably why I didn't have a lot of friends. My mom glanced at me with her green eyes, the same green eyes I had, biting her lip.

"She's just very stressed out Edward. She had Bella when she was very young, so she has two jobs and not a lot of free time." My mom said gently.

"Why doesn't she just get one good job then?" I asked her curiously. I wanted to know as much as possible about Bella. My mother smiled at me.

"She had Bella when she was in High School, so she had to quit. You see, if you quit school, you wont get a good job and earn a lot of money, and without money-"

"You cant get anywhere in life." I finished with a sigh. My mom and dad had drilled that into my head for as long as I could remember. Which wasn't long, considering I was seven.

"But what about her dad?" I asked curiously. My mom frowned slightly.

"I don't really know, I've only seen him a few times." She said, and I knew by her tone that this conversation was over.

**-X-**

The next day at school was like nothing had ever happened. People went back to ignoring me, and Bella went back to her bullies. Because that's what she was. A bully.

She saw me looking at her from across the playground. I was sitting on a swing, my short legs sticking out instead of hanging down. She didn't smile, but she didn't look angry ether. She was just, looking at me.

James noticed our staring match, so he started pushing her playfully. Bella punched him right in the stomach and told him to shut up. He did, rubbing his stomach and glaring at her. But they were still friends.

The bell rang and everybody started running inside. I had some trouble with jumping down from the swings, but eventually I managed and when I looked up, I noticed there was only me, Bella and her little gang of bullies left.

They were all taller then me, even Bella. So I stood still and watched them as they all walked past me. Bella pushed me to the ground when she walked by, making the others snicker.

"That's what you get, _sneak_." She said angrily. She started walking again with the others as they all ran inside. I got up and dragged my feet to the classroom. I pulled the little blue candy out of my pans pocket and stared at it before slipping it back in.

Girls were weird.

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**Like it? Review! (No Flames)**


	2. TWO

_Okay, just want to say one thing. Bella will have an attitude in this story, she's a rebell, and without an attitude, she wouldn't be one. She won't be as bratty as she was in the first chapter, but come on, she was only seven. So if you don't like it, then don't read it._

_Now, good FF' people, the real fun begins ;) _

_- Says the Schizophrenic!-_ **(No we don't! O.o)**

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Age 18 - Edward POV

Thank god I finally hit puberty, lost the glasses and started growing. I was the shortest kid in school until 10th grade, my nick name being _Dorky McShorty_. And guess who made that name up? Bella Swan. Lets just say it doesn't do wonders to your self esteem when the girl of your dreams comes up a nick name like that for you.

After she pushed me that day all those years ago, I'd started a little war with her. I wasn't going to let myself get pushed down by her. So every time she picked on someone, I would stand up for them. And every time she picked on me, I'd stand up for myself, the best I could. Of course it always ended up with me being beaten up by her in some way or another, but it was worth it. I had my own sick little twisted relationship with her.

She didn't know that I only bothered with her because I had a crush on her. I'd always been smart, so I quickly figured out that the way to keep her attention was through sticking up for myself. She liked challenges, that much was obvious.

Over the years she'd done a lot of stupid stuff, to put it lightly. Like holding two umbrellas and jumping off the school roof, and breaking her leg falling. Ditching school and taking the buss to Seattle and being brought back by the police, to the school because she refused to say where she lived. She also refused to tell anyone, even James and Tyler what she'd done.

Stealing the teachers car and crashing it into the gym. While being drunk of course.

And she actually ran through the school naked one day on a dare. Best day of my life.

Coming to school drunk in 10th grade, along with James and Tyler. They'd ditched Mike along the way, claming he was starting to be too much of a goody two shoes, just like me. The list went on.

But, despite all the stupid shit she did, she was still a smart kid. Straight A student without hardly making an effort. She usually ditched every chance she got, and whenever she was there, she was sleeping. No one knew how she did it.

Her best subject, however, was art. She'd always been good at drawing. Even in pre school.

So, she'd designed her own tattoo, which she had on her left ankle. It wasn't big, couldn't be more than 10cm high. It didn't have any colors on it, but it was a lot of shadows, thick elegant vine's almost dancing around the mysterious feminine eye, which reminded me a lot of her own eyes, hidden in the middle of the art work. She'd also gotten her lower lip pierced in the middle. She even had a nose stud and both her ears were filled the whole way around with rings.

All in all, her look matched her attitude. Tough and mischievous. She'd never been particularly angry as we grew up. No, she'd always been quite happy as a kid too, which I could never understand when she had a mother like Renee Swan.

But, Bella was Bella and she was amazing like that. Always in a good mood. She wasn't a bully anymore, but lets just say she wasn't afraid to speak her mind ether.

"If you got something to say to me, you grow some balls and say it to my face. Or else you shut your botox infested lips, or I'll do it for you." She said calmly, staring at a girl a head taller then herself. Lauren Mallory looked shocked and scared. And I could understand why. Most of the scars on my body were from Bella alone.

"I didn't mean it like _that_, Bella!" Lauren said in a high pitched panicked voice, looking for someone to hide behind. Jasper pulled up into the school parking lot and got out of the car, his twin sister Rosalie came out next. They both came and leaned against the car beside me, enjoying the morning show just like everyone else.

"So your saying you didn't mean to call me an emo cutting, black clothed freak who thinks she's better then everybody else? Not a lot of wais to say that with a different meaning to it." Bella said, cracking her knuckles. Lauren gulped and looked down at her shoes, and I could see the sweat running down the side of her face.

Jessica came running up to her and started leading Lauren away, looking at Bella with disgust and pure fear. Everyone knew she had a mean right hook. And she wasn't afraid of fighting dirty ether.

"Like, oh my _gawd_, what the hell is your problem? Leave us alone!" Jessica spat, walking away quickly with Lauren incase she decided to beat the crap out of the both of them. Bella shook her head and picked up her backpack, looking through the smallest room for something, and acting as if she just wasn't about to beat the snot out of the two most feared girls in our school. Well, second to Bella of course.

"Come on babe, we're goanna be late again." James said, slinging his arm around her shoulders. I could feel the ugly green eyed monster inside of me snarling, whiching he could just tear James's arm off his body and beat him to a bloody pulp with it. I wasn't a violent person, at all, but my thoughts tended to get violent whenever Bella and another guy was involved.

Luckily, she shrugged herself away from him and rolled her eyes.

"I told you to stop doing shit like that James. It was one time, okay? Get over it already." She said with a sigh and started walking to her English class. I wondered what one time she was talking about. A kiss? Or more? The thought made me sick, and I was glad when Rosalie opened her loud mouth.

"I don't know why, but it just never gets old with her. She's the only exiting thing in Forks. I wish she'd do stuff like that more often." Rosalie said with a laugh.

Rose was one of the few people who actually liked Bella. Not that Bella liked them or even wanted to be friends with them, but they still thought she was cool.

Rosalie flipped her long blond hair over her shoulder and waved at us before she started walking to her own class, drawing more then a few stares from the football team. Jasper chuckled at me and punched my shoulder lightly, not even thinking twise about the fact that all the joks were whistling after his sister.

"Come on man, we better get to class." Jasper said, dragging a hand through his blond locks, as he started walking towards the main entrance.

He and his sister, Rosalie, moved here in 6th grade. They were the first real friends I got in school.

We walked into the school in silence. Most of the students had gone to there classes, seeing as the first bell had rung.

Bella was still standing in the hallway struggling with her locker, punching it and cursing at it under her breath. I stopped for a minute to stare at her long, pale and perfect legs. Whoever invented denim shorts was a god, and I would forever worship him or her.

I gave a content sigh, imagening myself _running my hand through her long mahogany hair, slipping my hands underneath her light blue shirt and- _

Jasper bumped my shoulder, and my head snapped up to see his questioning gaze. I pulled myself together and said the first thing that came to mind.

"Maybe if your actually nice for once, something will go your way." I teased her with a crooked smile that I knew she hated. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she smirked right back at me.

"And maybe if you stop being such a mommas boy, you might actually get some." She said back snidely, not missing a beat. She punched her locker hard once, and it finally opened up.

"Kiss my ass, Swan." I'd never been good with come backs. Jasper shot me a look, asking without words if that was the best I had. I gave a shrug, because honestly, it was the best that I had.

"I'd love to." Bella answered in a bored tone, her head stuck in her locker. She pulled out a bunch of papers and a couple of books before she turned around and walked away without another word.

"Damn it! She _always_ gets the last word." I grumbled to myself. Jasper started laughing at me.

"Not trying to put you down or anything, but she's got a talent for being mean. And you don't. Your just too…nice." Jasper said and walked away from me. I pondered this for a few seconds. Shouldn't that be a good thing?

"What's wrong with being nice?" I yelled after him.

"Its annoying and a complete turn off." Bella said with a laugh as she ran past me, almost knocking me over, and into a closet.

A teacher came running up to me, and I was happy to see it was the Spanish teacher. That meant that I wouldn't be late for class after all.

"If you tell me where Bella went, Edward, I'll give you a free period." He said, gasping for air and sweating like a pig. I pointed to where Jasper had turned the corner only moments ago. He thanked me and ran away. Bella poked her head out of the closet and stared at me in surprise.

"Thanks dude. I owe you one. And you better make it a quick one, cause I'm leaving right now." She said, rummaging around in her book bag.

"Leaving? But, school just started…" I said, but she sent me a look which silenced me at once.

"No shit sherlock." She said with a laugh, closed her bag and grabbed my hand and started pulling me out the doors I'd just entered and over towards the parking lot. I tried to ignore the slight shock that went through my body as her skin was in contact with mine, but I was also puzzled about why she was grabbing my hand, her number one enemy and dragging him out of school.

"I need you to do me a favor Edward. Its really, really important." She said with pleading eyes. Like she needed to make her eyes look more intense then they already were. I nodded my head, my voice escaping me for a slight moment.

She gave a small cheer and started running towards the parking lot. There were no windows facing the parking lot, so thankfully we didn't need to worry about being seen. Although, I was wondering in the back of my mind if this was a trick or not…James and Tyler could be hiding around a corner, ready for an attack. But Bella just didn't do stuff like that anymore. Besides, I'd noticed that she tried to avoid her friends lately.

"I need you to give me a ride." She said hastily, looking around to see if anyone was watching us. She ran towards her own car and pulled out a big brown leather bag that looked too heavy for her thin arms.

I took it from her wordlessly and put it into the backseat of my car. She threw herself into the front seat while I started up the engine and slipped out of there quietly. Bella placed her feet on the dashbord and started drumming her hands against her bare thighs to a fast beat only she could hear.

"What about your car?" I asked her, slightly confused.

"Sold it." She said simply, not offering any explanation. I nodded my head, trying not to be the nosy little fucker that I oh _so_ desperately wanted to be.

"I'm kind of surprised that your going along with all of this." She said, stopping her drumming and staring at me with her big brown eyes.

"Yeah, me too." I said quietly, trying to focus on the road and not crashing into a tree. A smile lit up her pretty pale face and she bit the ring in her lip hesitantly.

"I owe you two now." She said thoughtfully. I nodded my head in agreement. I might be nice and give her a ride, but that didn't mean I wouldn't grab any chance I had to hold some sort of power over her.

"So, you can go back to owing me just one if you tell me what your up to." I said as casually as I could, but I noticed my voice was shaking slightly. She stared at me for a moment and pointed to where I needed to go next.

"I'm running away from home, and I'm quitting school." She said bluntly, and I stomped on the brakes. She was thrown forward roughly, and I noticed that she wasn't wearing a seatbelt.

"What? Why, you, you can't just leave me- I mean, you can't just leave town, and drop out of school! Where will you go?" I rambled on, not noticing that I was shouting. Bella blinked for a few seconds before a grin lit up her face. She straightened up in her seat and looked me straight in the eyes.

"Didn't know you had it in you, Masen." She said with a small laugh. I didn't smile back at her, which made her frown and roll her eyes.

"Keep driving and I'll explain." She said, and I started up the car again, not saying anything.

"Okay, so Renèe doesn't know that I'm gone yet, but I left her a letter so she'll find that when she gets home, whenever that is. And I've bought myself an RV, which I'm going to drive down to Florida and live with my cousin Emmett and his parents." She explained excitedly. I'd never seen her act like this around anyone before. All exited and adorable. Not that we ever talked much except for teasing each other.

"What about your mom?" I asked her, trying to find something to get her to stay. Bella snorted and rolled her eyes.

"What about her? I'm 18, I can make my own decisions. She probably wont even know that I'm gone until next week. Besides, she's been talking about me visiting Emmett and his parents for ages now. She won't mind." Bella said confidently. I could tell by the sound of her voice that this bothered her, but she put on a brave face and gave me a reassuring smile.

I saw a big white RV parked on the side of the road, so I killed the engine and got out of the car fast so I could open the door for Bella. I couldn't believe I was helping her leave. I might never see her again.

"You know, I've got arms myself, I don't need you to open the car door for me." She said, rolling her eyes. I smiled sheepishly down at the ground, blushing. _Dudes aren't suppose to blush!_

"But thanks anyway," She said with a smile as she pulled out a pair of keys and walked up to the big thing, opened it and walked inside. I pulled her bag out of the car and walked into the RV after her hesitantly.

It was actually really big and cozy inside, with a double bed in the back, and a small double bed over the two front seats. There was even a bathroom and a kitchen/living room aria.

"How did you afford this beauty." I asked in an awed voice. She looked slightly surprised that I liked it, but smiled a small smile anyway.

"Do you know how much I earn on tattooing people? That and selling my car and some of my moms stuff, I got a pretty big wad of cash. I've got enough to get myself down to Florida without a problem. And the fact that I've been saving all the lunch money I stole through the years helped a lot too." She said with a laugh.

"I didn't even know that you tattooed." I muttered to myself. She shrugged indifferently, casting her eyes down, and hiding them beneath her thick eyelashes.

"What about all your friends? Wont you miss them? I don't get why your leaving." I said quietly, sitting down in her _'living room'_.

"Shouldn't you be happy about me leaving? Besides, life is too short to waste on one place. I want to go out and see the world, Edward. I want to jump from a cliff, swim with sharks, learn how to tackle an alligator, go skydiving, surfing, you name it! I can't do stuff like that in little Forks, Edward. I don't want to be here anymore. I'm bored with this place." She said with a frown, and I could tell by her body language that she really meant it.

"I should be happy about it, but I'm not. And I, I actually _want_ you to stay, Bella." I could feel my throat closing up, but I pushed it down. I would not be some blubbering mess in front of her. That would not be her…last memory of me.

Bella was gaping at me, and for the first time ever she actually didn't have anything to say.

"What…?" She stuttered, and blushed slightly, which I've never seen her do before.

"You heard me. I don't want you to leave! I want you to stay, right here, in this town, with me." I said, my voice growing with force. She shook her head and sighed.

"Edward this is stupid. Just this morning we were making fun of each other, and now you want me to stay?" She said with confused eyes. I pulled a hand through my messy bronze hair, frustrated.

"Look, I know we have our differences, and that we always fight and stuff. But I really, _really _don't want you to go Bella. Please?" I begged her. She stood from her seat beside me and shook her head.

"No, Edward. I'm not going to stay here because you all of a sudden want me to stay, I don't want to stay in god damn Forks! Okay? I want to leave, have fun and actually live for once! Everone in this damn town hates me, even my own mother. Their all judging everything I do, and talking about it like its their business. I hate this place Edward, I really, really hate it here!" She forcefully, punching her cabinet. I stared at her back with slightly raised eyebrows.

"Come with me." She said after a few short moments of silence.

"Excuse me?" I asked, slightly shocked.

"I said come with me." She said, biting her lip. I'd never heard her use such a quiet, small voice before. Not even when we were little.

"Bella you know I can't do that…" I said quietly, standing up and walking over to her. She was leaning over the kitchen counter staring at a cereal box. I put my hands on ether side of her, her back pressing into my chest.

"Stay…" I whispered pleadingly. Bella turned around and stared up at my face, shaking her head slightly.

"Come with me." She said simply, her normal demanding voice returning. I shook my head right back at her. She gave a small smile at me and grabbed the back of my neck, pulling me closer towards her, giving me the choice to kiss her if I wanted to. And I did.

I had fantasized about kissing Bella over a billion times. But none of those even came close to the real thing. Her lips were soft and warm, and fit mine like a missing puzzle piece.

I pulled her closer to me and deepened the kiss, wanting to get even closer to her. Bella tugged hard on my hair, making me groan slightly, which was pretty embarrassing. Bella didn't seem to mind though as she kissed me even harder. She put both her hands on my chest and started pushing me backwards towards the double bed. She pushed me once, hard, making me fall on the bed and lose contact with her lips.

She smiled down at me mischievously as she climbed to straddle my hips, making me gulp in anticipation. I had never gone this far with a girl before.

I'd only made out with a few girls in my life, and the only sexual experience I had was when I acedentaly graced Rosalie's boob while reaching for the popcorn. So to say that I had no idea what I was doing right now was the underestematement of the year.

This was all happening too fast. I knew I wanted it, I was a teenage boy for crying out loud! And my body wanted it too, something that was embarrassingly obvious at this point, but my stupid head was screaming _"TOO FAST, SLOW DOWN_!" I hate my head sometimes.

Bella's hands crept up my shirt as she started to push it off me, kissing my neck as she went. I hadn't even noticed that she'd unbuttoned it. And I hated myself for stopping her. I grabbed both of her hands and pulled them away from my shirt, holding her small hands in my own. Bella pulled her head away from my neck, confused.

"What's wrong?" She asked, staring me straight in the eyes. I could feel my face heating up slightly, which just made everything a lot worse.

"I've never…you know, done _this_ before…" I told her hesitantly. She furrowed her brows in confusion before her eyes lit up with understanding.

"Oh! Really? Wasn't expecting that…" She mumbled to herself, tightening her hands around my own. She smiled at me warmly and leaned down to peck my lips quickly.

"We wont do anything you don't feel comfortable with." She whispered, stroking my cheek with the back of her hands. This Bella was so different then the one I usually saw at school. This was the girl I was crushing on. Of course, I didn't really mind her attitude ether. It was kinda sexy, to be honest.

I gave her a slight smile, running my fingers through her mahogany hair, and rubbing her back slowly with the other, just like I'd imagined only half an hour earlier.

"I'm sorry…" I started but she kissed me again, slowly this time. She pulled away and sat up straight, still straddling my hips, and started tracing a finger slowly back and forth just above the waistband of my jeans. I put both my hands on her thighs carefully, not wanting to cross any unknown boundaries.

I cleared my throat, still kind of embarrassed about my very obvious problem. She grinned down at me with raised eyebrows.

"Don't feel bad. I imagine that when you think this through tonight, you'll punish yourself enough as it is. Besides, your right, we shouldn't go any further then this." She said, smiling. She jumped up and walked into the driver seat, looking through some papers in the seat beside her.

I buttoned up my shirt hastily, not really caring if it was the right holes or not. I stood up and dragged my hand through my hair quickly, unsure of what to do and what she meant by that.

Bella stood up and threw the papers down as she walked over to me slowly, before leaning up on her toes to kiss me again.

I pulled her to me and leaned back against the wall, holding her to me for dear life and whishing with all my might that she wouldn't leave in a few minutes. The kiss grew more intense, which scared me slightly. It was almost desperate, as if she was saying goodbye.

My stupid lungs were screaming for oxygen, so I drew back, taking in huge gulps of air. Bella only moved down to my throat where she started sucking, making me moan slightly. Suddenly, she bit my throat, hard, making me flinch in both pleasure and pain. She drew back, and placed a feather light kiss on my new love bite.

"Mine." She breathed, pulling back slightly and placing her forehead against mine.

"You have _no_ idea of how long I've been wanting to do this." I whispered to her, pulling her even tighter against me.

"Well, I bet _you_ don't know how long _I've_ wanted you to do that." she answered back cheekily. I smiled down at her sadly, wishing that I could go with her, and not really finding a reason to not go with her at the moment.

"You better leave before they start looking for you too, wondering what the horrible rebellious Bella Swan ever did to poor sweet little Edward." She teased me, but her heart wasn't in it, I could tell. She wanted me to leave?

"Go make something of yourself Edward." She said with a small smile as she slipped out of my arms. I instantly felt cold and missed her touch already.

I nodded my head and pulled my hand through my hair. I didn't want to leave her here, it was like my body was starting to get physically sick from it. I pulled off my thumb ring, a ring my dad gave me when I turned 16, and placed it at the kitchen counter, not looking at her as I walked towards the door.

"Something to remember me by." I told her quietly as I slipped out the doors and headed towards my car, my head hanging low.

"Edward, wait!" She yelled after me as she jumped out of the RV and ran towards me. She handed me a folder full of drawings.

"It's not a lot, but, at least you'll have something to remember me by, too." She said with a hesitant smile. I gave her a soft smile back as I looked down at the file in my hands. _I'd rather not miss you at all…_

"Oh!" She said suddenly, and pulled of one of her silver rings from her finger and dropped it into my open palm. Careful not to touch my skin.

"Have a good life, Masen." She said with a laugh, punching my shoulder playfully. And just like that, Bella Swan turned around and jumped into her big RV, and drove away without looking back.

"Happy birthday, Bella." I mumbled to myself as I stared at the small ring with the sapphire blue stone in my hand, and the folder full of drawings.

Like I would ever need stuff to remember Bella Swan.

* * *

**AN**_: Okay, so, some of you might be a little confused as to why they go from being mean to each other one minut to almost having sex the next. Well, it's simple. Bella knew that this was going to be her last chance, and that she would never see Edward again, so she took a chance on him liking her back. (Picture of the rings in my profile)_

_If something still isn't clear, then all you have to do is ask. I will answer every Review ;) _

_(No flames!)_


	3. THREE

_**Nope, I still don't own Twilight. **_

* * *

Age 18 - Edward POV

I got into my car and drove back to the school in a daze like the good little boy that I was, and hating myself for doing it. I put the ring inside the folder so I wouldn't lose it, and put the folder in the seat next to me.

I couldn't believe it. Bella Swan was gone. I had kissed Bella Swan, something I probably never would be able to do again. I, Edward Anthony Frikkin Masen, had kissed the one and only Bella Swan. I felt like jumping for joy and crying my eyes out at the same time.

She'd liked me all this time, and I'd been too blind to see it. How could I be so stupid? I should have just kissed her in the hallway like I'd always wanted to do.

If it was one thing I hated about myself, it was that I never took any chances. Ever. This afternoon was probably the wildest thing I'd ever done in my life. And that's saying something.

I pulled up into the school parking lot and walked to lunch, which started in ten minutes. No reason for me to go to class now.

Jasper and Rosalie joined me at our usual table with their lunch trays, staring at me with amused faces.

"You'd think with a love bite that big he'd at least smile a little. What crawled up your ass and died?" Jasper said with a laugh, making Rosalie giggle. They were really close, something I envied sometimes.

"So, who's the lucky girl? And is that why you didn't show up for History this morning?" Rosalie asked, popping a fry into her mouth. Both of them were skinny as sticks but they ate like Japanese sumo wrestlers.

"Bella Swan, and yes." I answered both of her questions. Rosalie chocked on her fry and Jasper shot chocolate milk out his nose.

"What?!" They both yelled at the same time, their baby blue eyes turning wide.

"Yeah, I gave her a lift this morning to her RV, we talked, we made out, she left and now I'll never see her again." I said, staring down at the table, tracing an old crack with my finger.

"But, what, _how_?! You guys _hate_ each other! You always fight!" Rosalie said, not understanding what was going on. I sighed and looked up at them through my lashes, trying to hide my blush, which didn't work because of my pale skin.

"Are you… Are you _blushing_?" Jasper asked in a quiet, amazed voice. I ran my hand through my messy mop of hair, a nervous habit I'd picked up from my dad.

"I never hated Bella, not even when we were little. I guess it doesn't matter if you guys know now since she's gone. You see, I figured that if I bothered her, she'd pay some attention to me, you know? It was the only thing I could think off. Its stupid, I know, believe me, I do. But I had- _Have_, a crush on Bella and I've had it since we were seven!" I rambled out as quickly as I could.

There was a silence, and I realized that I'd been speaking louder then I thought, almost shouting my last words. The whole cafeteria was staring at me with there mouth's open in shock.

James, being the dick he is, was the first one to break the silence with his loud obnoxious laughter that was quickly followed by Tyler.

Everybody started to whisper and look around the cafeteria, probably looking for Bella. Good, at least they hadn't heard that she left. Bella had always been private about herself.

"Why didn't you ever _tell_ me? I could of helped you get her or something!" Rosalie hissed quietly, leaning her head towards me along with Jasper. I closed my eyes and rubbed my temples.

"I didn't want anyone to know. It was just embarrassing. I mean, she's so perfect and brutaly honest, which I loved about her, and, and I just... its too late now anyways." I whispered so the rest of the student body wouldn't hear.

"Well, can't you go after her? Where did she go?" Rosalie asked me hurriedly. Jasper nodded along with her.

"I tried to get her to stay, but she wouldn't, and I can't say I blame her. She went to Florida to her cousin named Emmett or something. She ran away from home you guys, so you can't tell anyone where she went, okay?" Both of them nodded, deep in thought.

"Emmett, what kind of stupid old fashioned name is that? Mrs. Emmett Swan, if that's his last name. I don't envy the girl who has to marry that guy!" Rosalie said, cracking up. I rolled my eyes at her but didn't say anything.

"I don't get it. How can you…_like_ her? She's mean to everyone and she's all dark and sarcastic. And she constantly beats you up. Not that you're trying to stop it or anything…" Jasper said, shaking his head and staring at me. I felt another blush creep up my cheeks.

"A little physical contact never hurt anybody?" I tried with a hesitant laugh. Jasper's face scrunched up into frown as he stared at me with disgust.

"Ah, man, no, no that's just wrong. Seriously? That's just sick Edward!" He said, shaking his head harder, making Rose and I laugh at him.

"Well, I always thought she was beautiful, there's no arguing that. I've never had anything against piercings or body art. And she's so mysterious and mean on the outside, but if you stare at her, like when she draws, she's a completely different person, you can just tell. And did you guys know that she's a tattoo artist outside of school?" I rambled, my chin resting in my hand. Jasper stood up quickly and started grabbing his books.

"Where are you going?" Rosalie asked, stuffing her face with her burger. She might look like a dolled up prima Donna, but she ate like a 300 pound truck driver, it was actually really disturbing. Not that Jasper was any better.

"This morning, Bella was yelling at Lauren, like she's always yelling at someone, and Edward teased her and Bella teased back, obviously winning that little war, no offence Edward. And then, our dear red headed friend here disappears for the rest of the morning, coming back with the biggest love bite since the 70's, and now he's freaking in love with his '_worst enemy'_." Jasper rambled quickly, air quoting '_worst_ _enemy'_. Rosalie snickered slightly, looking from me to Jasper as if she was watching a tennis match, her eyes wide as she took a huge gulp of her lemonade and continued inhaling her burger.

"I don't _love_ her, Jasper, I've just been crushing on her since forever. It's not like I'm going to turn all emo kid on you guys from now on. I'm still going to be Edward." I stated, making a small vow with myself right then and there. So what if she'd kissed me and fulfilled my fantasy about actually wanting me like I wanted her, and I'd never see her again? So what if she really was a big part of my life when I actually started thinking about it. She was not going to turn me into a whining little baby. If she was going to have fun, then so was I.

Rosalie snorted in a very un lady like way, giggling about something.

"What, pray tell, is so damn funny dearest sister of mine?" Jasper asked her shortly. Rose only giggled harder.

"Just picturing Edward over here as an emo. Reading poetry, crying over everything and being weirder then normal. Kinda funny." She said, making Jasper crack a small smile too.

"Seriously though, why are you getting so worked up about this? So what, they've secretly liked each other since forever? Big deal." She continued, taking another huge bite of her burger.

"Big deal?! Of course it's a big deal! Edward and Bella hate each other. Its fact. Its even written down in the year book. _But_! Edward here just changed the fucking world by coming clean with his lies. The next thing we know, Miss. Chokesondick didn't _really_ die in that South Park episode! What the _hell_ is happening to the world?! Is your real name even Edward?" Jasper asked dramatically, staring at me as if I'd committed the biggest crime in the world.

"Last time I checked it was, yes. Jasper please, she left anyway, its not like it matters anymore." I muttered angrily to myself, stealing a fry, or rather trying to steal a fry from Rosalie. She stabbed my fingers with her fork, looking at me warningly. I huffed.

"You promised not to turn into an emo kid, so cheer up." Rosalie said.

"A fry would cheer me up." I said hopefully, while Rosalie snorted.

"Oh please, your not even crying or anything. Not that I'd give you my fry even if you _were_…maybe if you were bleeding. Depending on how much..." She trailed off. That girl had some serious eating disorder, and I don't mean in the way that she didn't eat. Quite the opposite. She was sort of obsessed with her food. I rolled my eyes at her and looked back at Jasper.

"Let's just forget it, okay? Besides, I don't want to think about it anymore. I kind of miss her." I admitted, grabbing something from Jaspers tray instead. Rosalie shook her head at me but didn't say anything.

"Anything else you want to come clean about, you can do it now." Jasper said, sitting back down. I smirked at him as I thought hard.

"I used to scrub Mr. Pussy's teeth with your toothbrush when we were little." Rosalie said, her eyes sparkling with amusement. Jasper's eyes widened and he started gagging slightly.

"How could you do something like that to me?!" He sputtered, smacking his mouth and looking like he was on the verge of puking.

"It was the summer you decided that Garrett was more fun to play with then me, so I wanted a revenge…" Rosalie trailed off, batting her eyelashes at her baby brother by four minutes.

"Who's Mr. Pussy?" I asked. I'd never heard them talking about a Mr. Pussy before. Jasper groaned and laid his head on the table while Rosalie smiled at me widely.

"Well, you see, every summer since we can remember, Jasper and I have visited our grandparents farm down in Alabama. Now, when we were 9, our grandmother gave us our very own baby cow, which I wanted to call Mr. Pussy and Jasper wanted to call Dick." Rosalie explained with glee.

"You guys were kind of perverted as children, you know that right?" I pointed out. Both of them nodded, and didn't try to deny it.

"Anyway, I got my way like I always do, so Jasper got mad and decided that since he was such a big boy, he should only play with other big boys. That's were Garrett comes inn." She said, nudging her brother in the shoulder with her elbow.

"So, I was stuck with this baby cow, that I had to take care of all on my own because Jasper thought Mr. Pussy was stupid. I thought it was unfair how I was the one that had to take care of it, so I figured, if I used your toothbrush to clean his teeth, then you'd sort of be helping without even knowing it." Rosalie explained brightly, chugging down the rest of her Lemonade.

"But I apologized and gave you my favorite toy! Why didn't you ever tell me?" He asked, staring up at her.

"Well I couldn't tell you at the end of the summer, because then you'd be really mad at me. So I figured I'd wait a few years before telling you, that way you could only be slightly mad, because it happened such a long time ago. Your actually the one who taught me that, Jasper, so don't look so surprised." She finished her little tale. Jasper only shook his head in exasperation.

"Do you think they'll ask me where I was if I go to my next class?" I asked anxiously, staring at the clock hanging on the wall. People were still giving me weird looks as they walked past us. Some laughing while others looked down right confused. I guess they were on the same page as Jasper.

"Ah, Edward. Don't be such a worry wart. You've never ever ditched before, even when your sick you show up for school. I don't think the teachers will mind too much. Well, they might miss someone kissing their ass throughout the lesson, but you'll be fine for the rest of the day." Rosalie said, picking up her book bag and slinging it on her shoulder. Jasper and I stood up to and gathered our stuff slowly.

"I don't suck up to the teachers." I said, frowning at her. Rose and Jasper looked at each other and then at me. Creepy how alike those two can be sometimes.

"You kinda do. Just face it Edward, you're a nice, quiet ass kisser that sticks up for losers that are even lower on the ranking scale then you are. Your hot, I'll give you that, but you just don't have that bad boy attitude. If you stop trying to be something your not, then maybe you'll be happier with yourself. Now you go be the best ass kisser in that classroom and make us proud!" Rosalie preached at my stunned face. She gave me a quick hug and kissed Jasper on the cheek before she hurried of to her next class.

"Wow…" I breathed, stunned. Is that how everyone saw me? Stiff, boring quiet old Edward who couldn't come up with a good come back even to save his own skin? Jasper rubbed his neck as he gave me an apologetic look.

"Hey man, she means well, but you know how Rosie is. She sucks at giving complements, but you know she didn't mean it in a bad way." Jasper said as we started walking out of the cafeteria towards our Biology class.

"But it's true though, isn't it? That is how everybody sees me." I said with a frown. Jasper nodded his head hesitantly.

"But you know, there's nothing wrong with that, Edward. Being nice, getting good grades, those things are good. 70 % of the student body at this school will probably end up flipping burgers. I think you should be happy about the fact that your not one of those. There's a reason why you're my best friend instead of those other losers. But lets stop talking about this before we both grow a pair of boobs and start braiding each others hair." He said with a laugh, pushing the door to the Biology room open with his shoulder. I laughed with him and figured he was right. And so was Rose too. There is no point in trying to be something that your not.

"Oh, and Edward?" Jasper whispered as he took the seat behind me.

"Yeah?" I asked distractedly as I fished out my books.

"You might wanna button up your shirt again." He said with a laugh, and I looked down at myself, and blushed a hard crimson color. If you took in my wild hair, the hickey and the messed up shirt, it wasn't hard to figure out what I'd been up too. I buttoned it up the right way and straightened it out as much as I could, along with my hair.

"Thanks for not telling me sooner." I muttered, trying to hide my face. Jasper turned a laugh into a cough.

"No problem dude." I shook my head. This was going to be a long day.

**- X -**

The rest of the day went by slowly, and thankfully none of the teachers asked me where I'd been this morning, and nobody missed Bella. It wasn't uncommon for her to ditch school every once in a while.

As I was walking back to my car after school, someone grabbed me from behind and pulled me around the other side of the school where I was pushed up against the wall by none other then James, with Tyler standing in the background, wearing a stupid grin. James, however, wasn't laughing.

"You just stay the _hell_ away from Bella you little bastard, you hear me? Or I'll make all of Bella's beating seem like a day at the zoo, understood?" He asked, pressing my up against the wall by my throat. I nodded my head. No point in telling him that she left anyway, so it wouldn't be hard for me to keep that promise.

James smirked his signature evil smirk and released me. He pulled out a cigarette and lit it up, staring at me with curious eyes. I knew that if I started walking away now, he'd kick my ass.

"I never understand why she holds back when she's beating you up. There's nothing special about you," James said casually before he turned around and started walking into the woods, Tyler following him faithfully.

So she hadn't told her friends about leaving. She hadn't told anyone about leaving. Only me. That made me feel giddy as I hurried back to my car and headed home in a daze. This day had been strange day. Although a small part of me wanted it to be true, I whish I'd just imagined Bella leaving.

I parked my car and walked up the driveway, slinging my backpack into the hall and walking into the kitchen to get something to eat, since I didn't eat anything at school.

"Hi honey, how was your- Oh, dear sweet apple pie, what is that, that _thing_ on your neck?!" My mother yelled outrageously. My cheeks turned pink and I grabbed my throat, trying to hide it from her.

"Its nothing." I mumbled, dropping my hand and opening the fridge, taking out everything I needed for my sandwich.

"Well that's the biggest nothing I've seen in years." My mom muttered, coming closer to me. She had to stand on her toes to see it more clearly.

"Edward, why didn't you tell us that you have a girlfriend? What's she like? Do I know her? Is she nice?" She asked, pulling everything out of my hands and making me sit down as she started making the sandwich for me. I didn't protest.

"First off, I don't have a girlfriend, and you don't know who it is…" I tried to lie, but just like when I was seven, I sucked at it. My mom shook her head at me.

"You have to lie better then that honey. Come on, tell your old mom who the lucky lady is. It is a lady, right?" She stopped making the sandwich and razed an eyebrow at me.

"Yes it's a girl mom, I'm not gay." I answered with a roll of my eyes. My mom had always wanted a girl, so when she got me, she had secretly wished that I would turn gay along the way. I'm happy to say that I'm a huge disappointment in that department.

"Dang," She muttered as she continued with the sandwich, making sure she had everything she needed.

"Well if she's not your girlfriend, what where you doing kissing her?" She asked in a slightly sharper tone.

"_Mom_, I really don't want to discuss this with you, so could you just please let it drop?" I pleaded with her. She sighed in annoyance.

"Well can you at least tell me who it is? It's not everyday my son comes home with a hickey the size of Kansas." She teased me, and handed me my food.

"Bella Swan." I answered, taking a huge bite out of my dinner. Elizabeth dropped the knife on the counter and stared at me with huge green eyes, shaking her head in disbelief.

"No, Edward, _no_. Not her, please. _Anyone_ else, just _not_ her. She's a bad influence, and she's just a horrible person and-" I cut her off, angrier with her then I thought I'd be.

"She's not mom, so just stop it. And we're not dating and we're not goanna start dating so don't worry about it. But don't say anything bad about her without even knowing her." I told her sternly.

"Oh really? I might not know the high and mighty Bella Swan, but I _do_ know that she's sent you home with more bruises and cuts then any other kid in school. I also know all those stunts she pulls with her other little friends. I might not go to your school, but we live in a very, _very_ small town." She shot back at me.

"Look, I don't know what's going on between you two, but I don't want you to get involved with that girl. She's bad news Edward." She said with a knowing look on her face.

"Do you know why _I'm_ the one she beat up the most? Because I provoked her to do it. I could of just stopped and she would of left me alone, like she left all the other kids alone, but I didn't, mom, so I'm not any better then her." I shot back at her, loving the way her face turned confused, and then feeling bad about it. But I didn't want her to think bad about Bella ether.

"Mom, what I'm trying to say is that Bella stopped beating kids up for fun years ago. The only reason she kept beating me up was because I bugged her into doing it. And, of course, she did beat up the others who were stupid enough to talk bad about her or her friends. So she's really not such a horrible person mom. Not _really_." I explained the best I could. I knew Bella wasn't a saint, and that she could come off as mean, but I also knew that there was more to her then what she let on.

"Why are you talking in past tense?" Elizabeth asked confused.

"Because Bella left today, and she's never coming back." I said with a sad little smile before I turned and walked out of the kitchen, picking up my backpack and ignoring her calls for me to stop.

I regretted not coming with her. But I couldn't leave Jasper and Rosalie, or my parents. And fact is, I don't think I would have had the guts to pull something like that off. I would probably have a nervous breakdown about missing too much school or worrying about something going wrong along the way.

I fell down on my bed and pulled the folder out of my back pack and took out the first drawing. I was shocked to say the least. The first drawing was of me. If it wasn't for the fact that I was holding the drawing in my hand and I could feel the lines on the paper, I would have thought it was a black and white photo, but she'd actually drawn it.

I looked happy, in the drawing, standing alone in the school yard by my car. And I was surprised to see that it was where I stood every morning, just watching her. I didn't know she knew about that. I would have been embarrassed and stopped if I knew.

The next one was older, of me laying in the grass somewhere. It wasn't as good as the others, but just as nice and detailed, and I could tell that she'd spent a lot of time drawing them. There were a few more of me and some other's of random objects. They were all beautiful.

I sighed and pulled my ring out of the folder, looking at it from all angles. I found an old chain in my bedside drawer and slipped the ring on it before placing it around my neck. I wanted to have a little peace of her with me wherever I went.

Someone knocked on my door, which made me sigh again. It wasn't possible to get one stinking minute alone in this house.

"Come in," I answered, loud enough for the other person to hear. I put the pictures in my drawer and placed my hands in my lap as I looked up to see my father as he walked into my room. I was surprised that he was home this early, but it happened every once in a while.

"Hello Son," He said, walking in and taking a seat on the end of my bed. I nodded in response but didn't say anything. Truth was, I wasn't all that close to my dad. He was usually working late, and we only talked on those rare days when he could take the morning off from work, which meant that he'd ether won or lost another case in court. My dad, Edward Senior, was a very well respected lawyer down in Olympia, which didn't make any sense at all since we lived in Forks. I never understood why we didn't just move down there for his job, but I wasn't about to complain, because that meant leaving Bella and my friends. But now that Bella had left, leaving Forks didn't seem like such a bad thing.

"So, Elizabeth told me about you and that Bella Swan girl getting all, um, down and groovy this morning." He started uncomfortably, and I groaned loudly, pulling a pillow over my face. This was _not_ happening.

"Nobody says '_groovy'_ anymore Dad, that word died out thirty years ago." I muttered, pulling the pillow away from my face. We never talked to each other. Not really. Sometimes over dinner about how I was going to take over his law firm, or become a Doctor, but we didn't really talk about anything else, which made this conversation ten times worse.

"Right. Well, your mom asked me to come up here to talk to you about protection-" I stopped him before he could go on any further.

"No, no. Stop _right_ there. I've gotten this talk in school. They covered everything, so please, just stop. For both of our sanities." I pleaded with him. He looked relieved, and it was almost like he deflated on the spot.

"Thank gum balls and all that is holey, I _really_ didn't want to have this talk with you, but if your mom asks, we did have this talk, and you now know everything there is about sex, got it?" He asked me playfully. I smiled at him in thanks.

"So, since I have to stay up here for another half hour, how's your grades?" He asked me, and I knew he didn't mean to say it in such a way, it was just that he really didn't care about anything other then work. I gave him a slight smile.

"Great, I've only gotten A+ in all my classes so everything's good. Well, except for art. C-. " I told him with a shrug. He smiled a big smile and looked around my room.

"Doesn't matter. You'll never need art in life anyway. Meaningless, really. So, you want to follow in your Dad's footsteps, and be a lawyer, or do you want to be a Doctor?" He asked me excitedly.

Sometimes I wondered if he ever cared about anything else. While all the other dads threw ball with their kids, my dad taught me the law system and how to win a case.

Truth was, I didn't want to be a Doctor or a Lawyer. I wanted to be a Firefighter, or a construction worker, or own my own Bar. I just didn't know how to tell them, because I knew it would be such a huge disappointment.

"Or, you know, since your so good in school, you could always become a professor, you know. But, what do _you_ want to be?" Which basically means, _do you want to be a doctor or a lawyer?_

"Doctor, I guess." If I had to choose, it would be a doctor, because I wasn't good when it came to arguing, like my dad was. My dad beamed at me with such a proud smile I didn't have the heart to say that I didn't want to be a doctor. I could just imagine the look on his face if he ever found out.

"Good choice boy! I'm so proud of you! You know, your mom really wants you to be a doctor, so your making her really happy now." He said, and I gave him a small smile in return. I just wasn't happy right now, and he seemed to catch on.

"Look, Edward, your mom told me that Bella left town today, but what about that Sarah girl? She's cute." He said, and stood up to stretch his legs. We had the same tall lank build, and the same jaw and nose. It wasn't hard to figure out how I would look when I grew up.

"Dad, Sarah still wears braces and weights about 200 pounds, and she's called pizza face for a reason. She is _not_ cute." The girl was still into unicorns and pink shirts, and she'd had the same hair style since first grade. Dad only wanted me to go out with her because her Dad was a doctor. It was really disturbing to be honest, that my dad was trying to pimp me out like that.

He scratched the back of his neck, and I could tell that he agreed with me.

"Just, try to find yourself a new girl, hopefully a girl who's going to get a career and earn some money, okay? You know what I always say, you can't be happy without money!" He said cheerfully. I nodded my head absently.

"I just don't feel like dating anyone right now." I said quietly, pulling at the pillow in my hand. Dad sighed and sat back down again.

"Look, kid, I know its hard and it seems like the end of the world right now, but when you get a little older and a little more experienced, you'll learn that girls will come and go, and once you find the right one, you'll stay with her for the rest of your life. Bella just wasn't the one, and you'll see that that was probably for the best." He told me gently, but he was only being annoying. Because what he really was saying, was that just because I was young, I didn't know what love was, and I couldn't have deep feelings because I wasn't experienced enough. Not that I loved Bella, but I'm sure you understand my point.

"I know Dad, I know." Sometimes, it was better to just pick your battles, and I wasn't about to start fighting with him now. He smiled at me warmly and stood up again quickly.

"Come, you left your sandwich all alone so I ate it. Your mom's making some more right as we speak." I shook my head at him.

"I'm not hungry, and I've got tons of homework to do." I told him, pulling out all my work from my back pack. Dad nodded and left the room without saying anything, closing the door behind him quietly.

I did all my homework in a few hours, and when I was done it was dark outside. My cell phone started ringing and I fished it out of my pocket before answering without seeing who it was.

"Hey Edward! Just wondering how your holding up." Jaspers voice came through the receiver. I rolled my eyes slightly and put on some quiet background music.

"Fine, other then the fact that Mom freaked out and sent Dad up to give me the sex talk. Luckily, he didn't want to give it and I didn't want to get it, so we just skipped that part." I muttered, putting all my books away. Jasper laughed on the other end.

"Seriously? My dad threw a few packs of condoms on us before running out of the room like a mad man. It was like he was facing death or something." I laughed with him, because their dad was this really tall, muscle like man who used to be a pro wrestler. They're mom died when they were two in a plain crash, so Mr. Whitlock was all alone, raising twins.

"You never told me that." I accused him lightly.

"Well we were eight when it happened, and you never asked." Jasper retorted smartly. He pushed a button and put me on speaker phone, so I could hear Rosalie too.

"So did you do it?" Was the first thing that came out of Rose's mouth. I rolled my eyes at her one tracked mind. She was more perverted then the whole football team of guys put together.

"No, Rose, we didn't." I muttered, sullen. Bella was right, I was beating myself up over it. What the hell was wrong with me?

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Seems like I wasn't the only one asking that question.

"It just…it just didn't seem right, okay? Everything happened so fast so I stopped us, before we did something we both would regret." I tried to defend myself, but it was bullshit to my own ears. Now that I'd gotten some time to think it through, I felt like an idiot.

The moment had been perfect for my first time, if that was what my sissy mind was worried about. And I knew that I would never regret something like that.

"I repeat, what the hell is wrong with you?! Your thinking like a fucking chick Edward, it was the perfect moment!" Jasper yelled, exasperated with me. I closed my eyes and was mentally beating myself in the head with a baseball bat.

"So what if everything went fast? As long as you don't _do_ it fast, there's nothing to think about! You are so fucking _stupid_ sometimes!" Rosalie yelled into the phone.

"Thank you, I know. This was a once in a life time chance and I blew it, trust me, the thought has crossed my mind for just about a billon times, but thanks for informing me." I snapped back at them. I knew I screwed up. Big time.

"That's just… really pathetic. What the hell is the matter with you, don't you have any self esteem at all? Loser." Rosalie muttered, and I rolled my eyes.

"So what your basically saying is that Bella, _The_ Bella Swan, wanted to bang you, and you turned her down?" Jasper asked calmly. I closed my eyes and groaned. Although not many people liked Bella in school, nobody could deny that she had the body of a goddess and the face of a fairy. She was simply perfect. But like I said, she had a big mouth and it scared away a lot of the guys. But not everyone.

"Yes?" It came out more like a question, because when he put it like that, it sounded pretty damn stupid.

"Did she kick your ass?" Rose asked excitedly from the background. She was probably laying on her bed. They had to share a room because of the size of the house. It was really small.

"Actually, she was really understanding about it all. It kind of surprised me, but like I said, she's really different when she's not around people. It's like she opens up," I tried to explain.

"But that's not exiting…" Jasper muttered, and Rose agreed with him. I rolled my eyes and started to put my homework away from my bed.

"Anyway, decided what kind of college you want to go to?" Jasper asked me, and he put me back to normal, so the conversation was only between the both of us again.

"I don't know, Dad wants me to go to the one in Chicago, but I just told him that I picked Doctor so I guess I'll have to find another college now." I said with a sigh. I really didn't want to become a doctor.

"Dude, why can't you just tell them that you don't want to be a goddamn doctor? Its not that hard. This is your life, you know." Jasper preached to me.

"Have you told your dad yet that your planning on becoming a drama teacher?" I asked him back. He had no right at all to tell me that I should explain to my parents that I had my own plans in life when he didn't even have the balls to tell his own dad that he wasn't planning on going into the military, but become a drama teacher.

"That's different." He muttered, and I could just see the look on his face. He knew he was wrong, but he wasn't about to give up because of that.

"And how is that different?"

"Because you still want to do something, and get a real career as they call it, while my dad things that all actors are gay and corny." Jasper countered. I shook my head to myself.

"Whatever. When you tell your dad, I'll consider telling my parents." We'd had this talk before, and we never agreed on anything.

"Look, I gotta run, Dad wants to wrestle." Jasper said excitedly, and I could already hear them in the background.

"I think Rose might actually win this time!" Jasper yelled into the phone, making me laugh. You'd think Jasper would be the one wrestling, not Rose, and you'd think that Jasper would be the one fixing their car later on that night, but no, that would be Rose.

"Nah, he's got her in a headlock, and… Edward, I have to go, Rose just smashed a vase over his head and I think he's bleeding." Jasper muttered and hung up the phone. At least that put a smile on my face. Rosalie and Mr. Whitlock were always wrestling, and Rose breaking stuff on his head was common.

Their dad was cool, and always put them before himself. I knew he wouldn't care if Jasper wanted to be a drama teacher. Jasper was just being…dramatic. He might not be your everyday dad, but he loved his kids and that was what mattered. He moved from Seattle to Forks so Jasper and Rose would have a nice place growing up. He even slept on the couch so they could have their own room.

I went to bed without food that night, and I really wasn't all that hungry. I just couldn't stop thinking about Bella.

Was she okay? Was she cold? Was she thinking about me? Was she hungry? I didn't know any of this, and it all bothered me a lot.

I regretted a lot of the things I'd done in my life, but I think my biggest regret now was not going with her. My parents would forgive me, Jasper and Rosalie would follow after me, and I'd still be okay in life. Bella would be fine, she was smart and I wasn't worried about her, so why wouldn't I be okay? It was too late now anyway.

I tried to get her to stay, I honestly tried. I didn't blame her for leaving though, the old saying about how if you love someone, you'll let them go. Not that I loved Bella, it was just a crush. But I understood her, which meant that I understood that this isn't a place for someone like Bella. And like I said, I didn't blame her for leaving.

Because in the end, it wasn't worth staying here over a crush.

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**_AN: Okay, a lot of you are asking if I've forgotten about Nerd. No, I haven't. I'll update that story sometime next week. _**

**_Hope everyone liked this chapter, it is one of my personal favorites. I feel bad for Edward, though. _**

**_Anyway! Next chapter will be from Bella's POV ;D_**

**_Review good FF people!_**


	4. FOUR

**Still don't own a thing. But I'm guessing you know that by now.**

**So, first chapter from Bella's POV. I think you'll all enjoy this chapter ;)**

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Age 18 - Bella POV

It was almost night, and I'd been driving all day, humming quietly to myself. Everything to distract my thoughts away from Edward. It was embarrassing to think about how many times my hands tried to turn the RV around and drive back to him.

I picked up my cell phone and found Emmett's number. Might as well tell him that I'm on my way. Not that he'd mind that I showed up to live with him, but, the distraction was welcoming.

"Hello?" His tired voice sounded, and I could feel my face light up in a smile.

"Hello my favorite family member in the whole wide world." A little kissing up never hurt anyone. Emmett laughed loudly and yawned, an I could almost see him stretching his huge, long arms over his head.

"Well, considering our family members, that's not something to brag about, now is it? So, is there a reason why you called or did you just want to hear from the coolest person on earth? Not that I blame youu or anything..." He teased, making me laugh.

"Well, of course I wanted to hear from you, but I was wondering if you could do me a huge favor?" I made my voice sound more innocent, not that it would fool him. Emmett knew me better then anyone.

"Shoot." He muttered, shuffling around with something.

"Okay, so I was just wondering if, you know, if it's was okay with you, if I could live in your back yard for about, oh, I don't know, a few years?" I said with a smile. I drove into a Subway parking lot and parked the RV, but I didn't get out yet. I hated talking in the phone while other people listened in on my conversation.

"What? Bella, why?" He asked, confused. All the shuffling had stopped, but I could hear some voices in the back. He was probably at work.

"Well, I kinda ran away from home, and I _kinda_ bought myself an RV to live in and I don't really want to quit school so I have to live some place for the rest of my senior year. And what better place is there than Orlando Florida with the coolest person on earth?" I teased with a laugh. I stood up from the car seat and walked to the kitchen table, settling down. There was a Safeway across the street that I could "Shop" in.

"Does aunt Renee know about this? Bella, where are you right now?" He didn't sound angry, he just sounded concerned, and that was just like him worrying over me. That's probably why I liked him so much, too.

"She doesn't know, yet. But I left her a letter on her bed, so I'm expecting her to call me pretty soon and scream her black lungs out. And I'm in Oregon right now. I'll probably be in Nevada by tomorrow. I could've been there today, but you know, I'm taking it slow. I think I'm going to stop by Las Vegas and see what the big deal about that place is, you know? Gamble a little." I said with a laugh. Emmett sighed before chuckling.

"You do know that your mom hates my guts right? Or did you forget that? She's not going to allow you to live with me." He muttered, and the shuffling started again, only this time I could hear chopping in the back ground too.

"Oh I know she hates you. But she can't tell me what to do, I'm 18 now. Where are you by the way?" I asked, changing the subject, and picking up Edwards ring and placing it on the table. I stood up and grabbed Renee's jewelry box, taking out a long silver chain. Renee once told me that she'd gotten it from her grandmother before she died, and then she'd slapped me across the face, laughing.

I smiled, thinking about how pissed of she'd be when she found out I'd stolen it.

"I'm at work, making some of my famous raw meat for Dexter and Bubble." He replied, with a chuckle. Emmett worked at a zoo, and his job was tending the alligators. He had shows with them everyday, where he wrestled them in the water, fed them and did dangerous stuff with them for all the visitors. He loved his job.

"Aw, give them a kiss from me." I teased, making him snort.

"I sure will. And yes, you can come down here and live with me. But I don't have a lot of money, okay? It's not like I earn a lot with this job, so you'll have to get a job when you get here, pull your own weight and all that. Deal?" Emmett answered, and I could hear the squishy sound of raw meat being put into a bucket.

"Deal! Oh, I can't wait to come down there. I haven't seen you since last year. By the way, could you enroll me in high school? Nothing fancy, just the closest school around." I put the ring on the chain and put it around my neck and pulled my hair away from my shoulders. It fit me perfectly.

"Of course I will. And, just how big is your RV? And how could Renee _not_ notice it? I know she's not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but _come on."_ He said with his booming laugh, and I could almost see him shaking his head, his dark brown curls bouncing around.

"Well, I bought it behind her back, and I hid it out in the woods. It'll fit in your back yard, trust me. And don't worry about me getting a job, I already sort of have one." I explained cryptically.

"You sneak. And what is this job of yours?" He asked me teasingly, probably cleaning up the table from the _'dinner'_ he'd just prepared.

"I tattoo people. How do you think I could afford a camping car? I didn't steal it."

"I wouldn't put it past you to steal it. I know your good at drawing but…tattooing people? That's pretty cool. And you earn money on this?" He asked, slightly amazed. I rolled my eyes at him. I might not have anything against stealing a little here and there, but I wouldn't steal something as big as an RV. That was just stupid.

"Oh, I earn more then your pretty little ass does. All my tattoos are custom made, so I have a policy that the lowest price is a 100 bucks." I said proudly, twirling the ring I had on the chain. _His_ ring. Emmett whistled in amazement.

"Well then I guess that's not a problem. When do you think you'll be here?" He asked, changing the subject. Emmett didn't like to talk about money, and that's understandable, considering his dad shot his mom over something as stupid as that.

I hadn't been completely honest with Edward when I told him where I was going. See, Emmett's dad was in jail, and his mom six feet under, so I would only be staying with Emmett. And he wasn't the best authoraty figure in the world, to put it like that. We were too much alike, and that ment trouble every time we got together. The week he'd spent with me every year was known to Forks as _hell week_. And for good reason.

"I don't know, I'm not in a rush so how about, two weeks, maybe? It'll give me some time to see the other states, and I'll be able to spend some time in Vegas." I said with a grin.

"Just be careful Bella. If you get hurt in anyway, I'll kick your skinny little ass." Emmett threatened.

"You'll beat me up if I end up crippled? What kinda crappy deal is that?!" I yelled, laughing.

"Just don't do anything too stupid, and don't drink anything that anybody offers you or from an opened bottle, and try to stay away from shady people. Those who are shadyer then you, anyway." Emmett pleaded with me, making me smile fondly. My mom and dad wouldn't have cared enough about me to warn me about anything like that, but Emmett was like the best big brother in the world that I never had.

"I promise." I said quietly, grabbing my bag off the little sofa and pulling it on my shoulder.

"Good, now I have to go feed Dexter and Bubble, so I'll call you tomorrow or in a few days. Stay safe okay?" Emmett said, concerned. I knew it bothered him that he couldn't be with me right now and protect me from everything bad in the world.

"I will, go do your job or you'll get fired." I laughed.

"Bye Bella."

"Bye Emmett." I hung up the phone and slipped it into my purse. I grabbed my keys off the counter and hopped out of the RV. I didn't have a name for it yet, but I knew Emmett would help me paint her once I got down there. With his help, it would probably look like a big three year old went crazy with paint.

I walked into Safeway and looked for the cheapest food they had, with energy in it. I was going to buy a Monster energy drink . Yes, buy with money, but the rest was unwilling charity on their part. I slipped a tub of Ben and Jerry's into my bag, making sure no one saw. I was a pro at this, but you should never get too cocky.

After filling up my bag with more items, I walked to the register, handing the youth, who had to be younger then me, the Monster, and a pack of gum with a bright smile.

"Hello." I purred pleasantly. The boy gulped and squeaked out a quick hi, then hurried to put my stuff in a bag. He handed it to me and told me my price.

"Oh shoot. I seem to be missing a dollar. Do you think that's okay?" I asked him with a pout. It was cruel really, to do this to the boy. And I honestly did have more then enough money. It was just fun messing with him.

"It's okay, I'll pay for it myself." He said, puffing out his skinny little chest. I beamed at him, letting all my white teeth show.

"Thank you." I answered, grabbing my bag and hurrying out of there. I jumped into the RV and started driving away quickly before they noticed anything shady about me. Stealing and lying was second nature for me now. It bothered me at first, but now I couldn't care less.

It wasn't like Renee ever remembered to buy me new clothes when I grew out of the once I had, and I didn't have money ether, so I learned to steal with James and Tyler. It always gave me a thrilling feeling in the pit of my stomach, and I loved it. I knew someone would concider me a kleptomaniac, which I do suppose that I am. Not that I care or anything.

I honestly didn't regret leaving Forks. I think it was the best decision I've ever made. The only thing that bummed me out was leaving Edward. But, I wasn't going to stay in that hell hole because of a crush I had on a boy who I constantly beat up. I didn't want to risk it.

I put on some music, bobbing my head and humming with the singer. It was kind of boring, to not have anyone to talk to, but I didn't mind being alone so much ether. I sighed and put the music on louder before I drove into a camp ground and paid for one night.

I walked around the camp ground, stretching my legs. It was starting to get really late now, but there was still some people sitting outside with a fire going. I walked over to a man with a tent, who was sitting there all by himself.

"Is there room for another camper here?" I asked, gesturing to the empty log by the fire.

"Sure is…Miss. Swan." If I wasn't sitting already, I would of fallen down.

"Who the hell are you?" I asked, amazed. The old man chuckled, and pulled at his long white beard.

"As polite as ever, I hear. I guess you don't recognize me with this long beard, but its me, Mr. Clawington." He said, staring at me with amused eyes.

"Dude! It _is_ you! Your right, I didn't recognize you with that fur ball stuck to your face. Where have you been?" I asked, curiously. He'd disappeared a few years ago without telling anybody in town where he went.

"I got cancer, and the doctor said that I only had a few more years to live, so I decided to go see the world before I was wiped clean of it." He said, poking the fire with his stick.

"Bummer," I muttered, staring into the flames. I'd never liked the man, but that didn't mean that I wished him dead ether. He chuckled at me but didn't say anything.

"Did you have fun though?" I asked, changing the topic. No point in talking about depressing stuff like that when he was almost dead anyway.

"Oh yes, yes I did. I met a lot of interesting people, heard a lot of tales and saw a lot of places. I feel that I can die a happy old man now." He said, smiling at me with his wrinkled face. I smiled back.

"I'm sorry about being so mean to you as a kid." I told him, feeling like I should apologize. He huffed and rolled his eyes.

"Oh _please_, don't give me that. You wouldn't have changed a thing if you could, so don't lie, it's rude." He scolded me playfully, and I grinned back at him.

"Your right, I would of done it all over again." I nodded, laughing. He handed me a bag of chips, and I started eating them without a question.

"So, what is a young lady like yourself doing such a long way from home, and all alone?" He asked, razing an eyebrow at me. I stopped stuffing my face and swallowed.

"I ran away from home." I answered simply, not seeing a point in lying. He could tell Renee if he wanted, but its not like she wouldn't know already. Besides, me leaving would probably be the best thing that ever happened to her.

"And your just planning on traveling like this? With no place to go?" He asked me, staring back at the flames. I shook my head.

"No, I'm going down south to some family members, just until I'm done with school." I said, and continued with my eating.

"Smart girl." He muttered, but didn't say anything else.

"Um, Mr. Clawington, could you not tell anyone that I was here? I don't mind them knowing that I left, I just don't want anyone to find out where I'm going." I asked him hesitantly. He nodded his head and got up from his own log and walked into the tent without another word. I thought he was going to bed, but I didn't move from my spot. To my surprise, however, he came out again with a cat cage and handed it to me wordlessly.

I took it curiously and looked inside, only to see a black and white fur ball... thing. It was too dark for me to see what it was, but I could tell that it wasn't a cat.

"What is it?" I asked, putting the cage down on my lap, looking back at the old man curiously.

"It's a Ferret. A woman gave it to me to keep me company on my trip, but the things been more of a bother then anything else." He huffed. I looked back into the cage and could faintly hear a small snoring sound.

"Is it mean or something…?" I asked, confused. He laughed and shook his head.

"Oh no, she's nice enough, I'll tell you that. The only thing she wants to do is snuggle and shower your face with kisses and sleep. That and playing. I'm too old to play, Bella, and I'm dying soon anyway. She'll be good company on your trip, so you take her." He said, lighting up a cigar. He offered me one, but I declined. Cigars were nasty.

"What's her name?" I asked him excitedly. I'd had pets before, in secret of course, because I wasn't allowed to have a pet by Charlie. Or Renee for that matter. Whatever brought me pleasure was forbidden in my old house.

"Roxanne. It means Graceful Rose in Latin. Give her at least one raw egg a week, and go to a pet store for Ferret food and she'll be just fine." He explained, scraching the back of his bald neck.

"She doesn't run away or anything, right?" I asked. I hated putting leashes on animals. It was sort of mean.

"Just put her on your shoulder or in your hood and she'll be fine. And she doesn't go far if she does run away." He said, smiling at me. I smiled back at him, happy to have a companion with me. I didn't mind being alone, but, it would be nice to have some sort of companie on the road.

"Thank you, Mr. Clawington, it really means a lot to me." I said, sticking my hand into the cage and pulling the little bundle out into my lap. She was just a baby still, small enough to lay in the palm of my hand.

"She's shaking," I said, concerned. The old man smiled at me, his gray eyes glinting.

"Ferrets do that to get the blood going again in their body after they wake up, its perfectly normal." He told me with a smile as I started to scratch her head. She yawned and blinked her pretty big eyes up at me.

"Cool, she's got one blue and one brown eye. And she's so _cute_!" I gushed, kinda hating myself for sounding like such a girl. She stared up at me in wonder as I kept petting her, and slid her short soft body off my lap and walked around the camp sight, sniffing on and rubbing herself against everything.

"So letting her walk like this is safe?" I asked, not wanting her to run away or anything like that. She was just a baby, after all.

"Just call her name and she'll come to you." He said, not even paying attention when Roxanne walked into some bushes. I razed an eyebrow at him, silently asking if we just lost her.

"She's just taking a piss. She doesn't like to be watched when she does her business. I'm sure you can understand." He said, and started gathering up his stuff.

"Well, I'm going to bed now, and I probably won't see you in the morning, so you take good care of her, alright?" He said, holding out a hand for me to shake. I took it and smiled at him in thanks.

"Roxanne, come on girl!" I called, and seconds later she came running out of the bush with a thick worm in her mouth, chewing on it happily. I picked her up and put her on my shoulder, and then bent down and picking up the cage too.

"It was nice to see you again, Mr. Clawington. And I hope you rest in peace and all that. Thanks again for Roxanne." I said, smiling at him. He smiled and walked into his tent, and I took that as my cue to leave.

I locked the door to the RV after me and put the cage on the floor and Roxanne on my bed. After turning off all the lights, I stripped down and got into bed with her. She was too busy sniffing my hair and the rest of the bed to sleep, so I let her be as I drifted into a deep slumber full of forest green eyes and bronze hair, all the while clutching Edwards ring in my palm.

**-X-**

It seemed like only minuets before someone was knocking on my door, and I groaned loudly. Pushing Roxanne of my face, annoyed.

"Did you have to sleep _on_ my face?" I muttered, sighing before rubbing my eyes tiredly. There was another knock. I got up and put my robe on before opening the door.

"What?" I yawned, opening my eyes. A young woman was staring at me with wide eyes, surprised.

"Are you Miss. Blowme?" She asked, and I had to hold back a snicker. I wasn't going to travel with my real name on this trip, so might as well have some fun making up fake names. I cracked a small smile and leaned against the doorframe.

"Yes." I answered, trying to keep a straight face. I heard a thud from the "Bedroom" and saw Roxanne running towards me. She rubbed herself against my legs before tumbling clumsily out of the RV and under it. The woman shrieked loudly and jumped away from the her and the open door.

"Sorry about that, her bladder is kinda small." I said sarcastically. She nodded but didn't come any closer.

"It's noon, you were suppose to be out of here by eleven. I just came to tell you that if you want to stay another night, you need to pay for it." She snapped, taking another step away from the RV as Roxanne came back and tried to get into the camper again. I bent down and picked her up, putting her on the floor by my feet. She ran past me and attacked one of my shoes, growling and biting at it viciously.

"Don't worry, we'll leave right now." And with that, I closed the door on her and grabbed the keys. I started it up and drove out of there in my robe.

"So Roxanne, huh? My name is Bella, we weren't properly introduced last night, probably because I was so tired, and you had that whole getting to know the bed before me thing going on. I'm glad you didn't pee in it by the way." I told her as she went around sniffing and rubbing herself against everything there was.

"Well, our next stop is Nevada, hopefully we'll make it to Hawthorne by tonight. But then again, I can't promise anything sense we got up so late. You need to wake me up or something." I said with a laugh, feeling kind of ridicules for talking to a Ferret that found a string more interesting then me.

I stopped at a gas station and changed into a pair of shorts and a T-shirt, slipping on my black converse.

"I just have to go to the bathroom and we'll be on our way again, alright?" I told her, kissing her head and putting her inside her cage. She just curled up into a ball with her head on her back, staring at me with sad eyes.

"Don't look at me like that! I let you pee in peace, so you be fair and let me do my business." I told her before jumping out the door and locking it behind me. I didn't buy anything in there, so the old lady behind the counter glared at me as if I'd done the worst crime in the world. Rolling my eyes, I jumped back into my RV and hit the road again.

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**AN: Kinda short, I know. Not the best chapter. Next one will be better, and a new character will be introduced ^^**

**Review! (No flames!)**


	5. FIVE

**Don't own it.**

**Hey dudes! Just wanted to let everyone know that my story 'Life to Existance' is nominated for the Indie TwiFic Awards :) Hope all of you check it out and vote for me :P **

**Have a happy reading! ^_^**

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Age 18 - Bella POV

It annoyed me greatly to say this, but I was lost. I knew I was in the state of Nevada, but I didn't know _where_. That's how smart I was for not bringing a map with me. Right now I was driving through a shady looking town with shady looking people. They stared at me with contemt, glaring more like it. This was exactly what Emmett told me to stay away from.

"I don't like this place Roxanne." I said quietly to her. She was curled up on my lap, snoring softly without a care in the world, trusting me compleatly.

I was about to take a turn, when out of nowhere, a girl came running straight in front of my RV. I hit the breaks as fast as I could, and thankfully I didn't hit her. The girl looked up at me pleadingly with big blue eyes that were filled with tears. She was around my age, only way shorter. She had pale skin and long black hair that was just one big mess. Her pretty face was full of bruises and cuts, and she was wearing a long dirty gown, that might have been white some time. The whole thing was just really disturbing.

As soon as she moved out of the way I started the RV up again, only I started driving quicker this time. Wondering if I should stop for the girl or not. I didn't though. I didn't stop until I came to a gas station a good twenty minutes later, wondering what the hell was wrong with me. Why hadn't I stopped? It was so obvious that she needed my help.

I killed the engine and considered my options. I could ether go in there and ask for a map and get the hell away from this place. Or, I could go back and help the girl I'd just abandoned.

Before I could really concider ether of my options, although I knew that I was going back for her, there was a knock on my door. I put Roxanne in the seat beside me and got up, opening it to see none other then the abused girl I'd just left on the side of the road.

She smiled at me sheepishly, staring down at her bare and bruised feet.

"Um..Hi." She said after an awkward silence. I raised both of my eyebrows, snapping out of my shock. I really wasn't expecting to see her when I opened the door. I stepped out of the way and gestured for her to come inside. She only hesitated for a moment before hurring in and shutting the door behind her quickly.

I sat down on the couch, and motioned for her to do the same. She sat down slowly, still not meeting my eyes.

"How the hell did you get here so fast?" I asked her, puzzled. She was about to put her elbows on the table before she snatched them away and put her hands in her lap, muttering a quick apology.

"I jumped on to the bicycle rack on the back of your RV. I didn't break anything, I promise. And I'll clean away all the dirt I've dragged in here, I swear." She mumbled in a high soprano like voice. It was very timid and soothing, but she sounded scared out of her mind.

"I'm sorry about just jumping on like that, I really am, but it was the only way I could get out of town. I'm Mary, by the way, Mary Alice Brandon." She said, staring up at me through her lashes.

"I'm Bella." I answered her, picking Roxanne up from the floor and putting her in my lap.

"And this, is Roxanne." I said with a small smile. Mary looked at her curiously and smiled slightly.

"Where you running away from someone?" I asked her. I knew it wasn't my place to ask, and that it was rude of me to pry. But I was a rude person so I didn't really care.

Mary's smile dropped, and she stared down at her hands again.

"My foster parents did this to me. They tried to get the devil to leave my body." She said with a frown, and I stared at her curiously. If she hadn't been sitting in front of me with all those cuts and bruises, I wouldn't have believed her. I mean, stuff like that only ever happened in horror movies. Not in real life.

"Your possessed by the devil?" I asked skeptically, putting Roxanne on the table. She walked over to Mary and jumped into her lap, licking at her hands. It was as if she could sense that someting was wrong.

"No, but they think I am. They're very…religious, and I'm not." I could tell she was editing a lot, but I didn't push her. I wasn't going to tell her about my life, so it was only fair that I didn't push her to tell me. Even though I was curious.

I stood up, locked the door and sat down in the driver seat. I heard Roxanne jumping down on the floor, but I didn't look after her. She was fine on her own.

"What are you doing?" Mary asked in a slightly panicked voice. I started up the RV and drove out on the road again, away from the gas station and that awful place Mary came from. No way was I ever going back there, and I had a feeling Mary wouldn't ether.

"I'm trying to find the way to Hawthorn at the moment." I answered her. She got up and strapped herself in the seat beside me. Her clothes were dirty and torn, but I wasn't a neat freak, so I didn't say anything about it.

"Take left here." Mary said quietly. I looked over at her and smiled slightly. Roxanne had found some food on the floor that she was eating.

"So, what's your plan now? I assume you had one when you jumped on my Camper." I said with a laugh. She looked out the window and back at me, her huge blue eyes blinking at me.

"My first priority was to get out of there, so no, I don't really have a plan. I just want a fresh start where nobody knows me." She said quietly. I nodded my head in understanding. That would probably be best for her.

"I'm actually on my way to Florida." I said, glancing at her. She nodded her head but didn't say anything.

"You know, if you want a fresh start and everything, I'd be happy to give you a ride." I said, keeping my attention on the road. Her eyes widened as she stared at me, her mouth hanging open in shock.

"I don't have anything…I don't have money to pay you back or, or stuff-" I waved my hand to shush her.

"I don't care about that. You can get food from me, and you can borrow some of my clothes until we can get you some new ones." I said with a shrug. She shook her head, staring at me with her wide, blue eyes.

"I can't let you do all that- Wait, what do you want in return?" She asked suspiciously. I smiled to myself. She was smart, and that was a good thing.

"I want you to keep me company and keep this place clean. Deal?" I asked, glancing at her from the corner of my eye. It didn't look like she believed me completely, and that was even better. I didn't want to have some dimwit with me for two weeks. That would just be annoying.

"Are you sure that's all? Your not going to make me do stuff or turn me into your slave or something like that?" She asked me.

"No, didn't plan on it. Do you know how boring it is to have no one to talk to? And do you know how much I hate cleaning?" I said with a laugh. She shook her head in amazement.

"I think that's the nicest thing anyone as ever done for me before." She said, her eyes tearing up. I shifted uncomfortably. I hated it when people cried, unless I was the one to make them cry. And I don't mean in the way I'd made her cry now.

"Please don't cry." I pleaded. She sniffled and smiled and tried to stop, and after a little while she managed to stop all together.

"Sorry about that." She said, wiping away the last of her tears.

"Okay, we need some rules." I said, sitting up straighter. She nodded, giving me her full attention.

"First rule, no crying. It makes me uncomfortable. Second rule, don't be mad and yell at me when I steal stuff. Its just the way I am, so deal with it. Third rule, if we get in trouble and I tell you to get into the Camper, you do it, because I can take care of myself. Do you have anything you want to put down as rules?" I asked her, taking another turn. She looked thoughtful.

"No violence between the two of us." She said hesitantly.

"Obviously." I said, laughing.

"You'd be surprised," She said darkly.

"Oh, I have another rule. You need to take a shower and change clothes, cause you smell." I teased her with a laugh. She blushed and giggled, muttering an apology.

"You know, you can do whatever you want in here, no need to say your sorry for everything." I told her, noticing how uptight she was. She nodded her head and relaxed slightly in her seat.

"That's goanna take some time getting used to." She said, smiling. I pulled over to a rest stop paid for one night and parked the RV in our spot.

"Okay, first, lets get you some clothes." I said, walking over to my small closet. Her dress was too big for her, and it was thin and worn out, with a few holes in them here and there. I could tell she was skinny, though. Too skinny.

"Here." I said, pulling out some underwear and a bra, socks, a long sleeved black and white shirt and some jeans. I grabbed a red pair of converse from the floor and put everything in my backpack along with my own pair of clothes before grabbing my toiletries.

"Roxanne!" I yelled, and she came running out from underneath the bed. I picked her up and put her in my hood where she curled up and fell asleep.

"Someone must be tired." Mary muttered, giggling slightly at Roxanne. I laughed with her and grabbed the keys, locking the door after us.

"What can I help you with?" The boy behind the counter asked. He was around our age with some serious acne problems. He stared at Mary longer then necessary, so I banged my hand hard on the counter to get his attention, making both him and Mary jump.

"Hey, you've got creepy shit all over your face too, you don't see us staring." I snapped, irritated. Mary flinched slightly at my tone.

"We want two showers." I said, annoyed. He nodded his head quickly and grabbed two key's, while I slipped him a ten dollar bill. We walked into the showers in silence, and thankfully, the place was empty.

"Thanks Bella." Mary said when we started to take off our clothes. I handed her a towel before I walked into my own shower. Roxanne followed after me, sitting in a corner of the stall.

"No problem." I mumbled, starting the hot water. I washed quickly, getting out of the showers again and started to get dressed in my new, clean clothes. The shower was still on for Roxanne's sake, who was making a lot of noise, rolling around in the water and attacking my shampoo bottle. I smiled fondly at her, sitting down and resting my head against the wall behind me and just closing my eyes for a few minutes.

"Are you done soon?" I asked Mary, because I was already dressed and ready to go, and she was still in the shower. I stood up and turned off Roxanne's water and picked her up, and packed her into my towel. I was rubbing her dry while I walked over to Mary's shower.

"I can't get my hair clean." She said in frustration, and I could see that her water was murky brown, even though she'd been in there for over twenty minutes.

"Its just one big knot that wont come out." She said, almost in tears.

"We'll just cut it off then." I suggested, and I heard her gasp slightly.

"But I love my hair!" She said, horrified. I sighed and continued to dry Roxanne's fur, which she was enjoying.

"Well its up to you, but you've been in there for twenty minutes now and its not coming out." I said reasonably.

"Okay," She muttered miserably. She grabbed a towel and came out of the showers, wrapping it around her thin frame. One of her shoulders were totally black, and it looked like she'd had rope tied around both her ankles and wrists. I didn't say anything, even though the sight made me angry. How could someone do such a thing to another person?

She sat down on one of the benches with her back to me, shivering slightly.

"Try to make it look good, please." She whispered, holding back tears. I had to laugh at her as I handed her Roxanne.

"Mary don't cry, its just hair." I said, shaking my head. I grabbed a pair of scissors from my bag and walked over to her.

"It might just be hair to you, but it used to be my pride and joy." She snapped, her voice thick. I tried to hide my laughter the best I could as I started to cut at the huge greasy knot.

"What the hell is this shit?" I asked, disgusted as the sticky stuff made my fingers greasy. And it smelled really bad. Almost like rotten fish or something.

"And how did I not see it earlier?" _Or smell it_, I wondered to myself. Mary had gone quiet, and she was clutching Roxanne a little too tightly, so I ripped her out of her hands, stroking her fur, checking if she was okay. She was fine, so I put her into my hood where she started gnawing at my hair.

"Mary?" I asked, looking at her face. Her eyes were glazed over, and she was muttering to herself, almost chanting, and then suddenly, she snapped out of it.

"Mary?" I asked her again, and she looked up at me with a smile.

"I guess I'll just spike it or something." She said with a shrug, like nothing had happened.

"Where's Roxanne?" She asked, looking around herself. I razed an eyebrow at her.

"I put her back in my hood, after you almost squeezed the life out of her." I said sharply. Her eyes widened.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to, I swear." She said, panicking.

"What happened?" I asked her, going back to cutting her hair. I'd gotten off most of the knot, but there was still a lot left.

"That's why my foster parents thought I was possessed by the devil. I sort of…have visions, I guess." She explained, blushing and pulling the towel tighter around herself.

"What kind of visions?" I asked her, cutting away the last peace of greasy hair, and started to style the rest the best I could. I wasn't a hair dresser, but I was good with my hands. She mumbled out something that I couldn't hear.

"Louder?" I asked her.

"I can see the future," She whispered, and I stopped cutting.

"You can see the future?" I asked skeptically. She stood up suddenly and started pacing. For someone so tiny, she sure was fast. She sort of reminded me of a beat up fairy, and a picture started forming in my mind...

I couldn't wait until I could start drawing again. Once I got an idea in my head, I had to draw it down as soon as possible, or else it would just haunt me until I did draw, or paint it down. Not that I minded, because I loved drawing.

"That's why my parents gave me up for adoption. Short, funny looking little Mary. They didn't want anything to do with me!" She yelled, tears running down her face. She wiped her cheek quickly, flinching slightly when she pressed too hard on one of her cuts.

"It's the same thing over and over again. I come to a nice family, they find out and then they send me away because nobody wants to have a _freak_ like me! They always ask me to stop, but I can't, because I can't control it. Now you'll probably leave me too." She said, a sob wracking through her thin frame. She sat down on the bench again, putting her head in her hands, her black spiky hair sticking up all over the place.

"I'm not goanna leave you here Mary, we're still going to Florida." I said awkwardly. I didn't know how to comfort anyone, I'd never done it before. The closest I'd ever gotten to comfort someone was when Steve, one of my X- boyfriends, got his guitar stolen.

"And, I believe you, I guess." I said, trying to get her to stop crying. It only made her cry harder. I didn't know if I believed her or not. It wasn't everyday you met someone with visions about the future. But I did believe that some people could, so it was possible.

"Come on Mary, sit down and let me finish your hair." I told her, leading her sobbing form back to the other bench. I finished her fixing her hair in silence, the only sounds being Roxanne's noises.

"There." I said with a smile, ruffling it up so it stuck out. She sniffled slightly and looked at it in the mirror.

"Thanks Bella." she whispered, giving me a hug. I hugged her back awkwardly.

"Go get dresses and lets go to bed," I said, desperate for her to stop hugging me. I wasn't like that, and I didn't enjoy friendly hugs. Unless they were from Edward. I pushed that into the back of my head. No point in dwelling on that now.

I busied myself playing with Roxanne as she dressed herself quickly.

"So, visions huh? That's pretty cool." I said, trying to lighten the mood. She didn't answer me as she pulled on the shirt, that I saw was way to big for her. She had a lot of bruises and welts on her stomach and back. She'd washed up her cuts though, so they were all clean.

"Is that how you knew I was coming into your town?" I asked her, glancing over to her. She was pulling on the huge pair of jeans. I didn't have any tight fitting pair of jeans or pants for that matter. Big pants and tight tops looked good on me, so I went with it.

"Yeah, I've seen you coming for a while now." She answered, glancing at me quickly before pulling on the converse shoes. I nodded my head, excepting that.

"And what was the last vision about?" I asked, curious now.

"I just saw how my hair would look like when you were done, and if I spike it, it's going to look good. And, you told me that I looked more like an Alice then a Mary." She said, wiping away her last tears. I looked over at her, surprised.

"Yeah, you kinda do." I said with a laugh. Mary sounded like som old woman's name.

"You know, _Alice_, that if you have visions about the future, you'll see that I'm not going to ditch you." I told her, my eyes serious.

"I can't decide when they come or not, that's why I can't drive. I don't want to risk getting a vision while I try and end up hurting someone." She mumbled. I laughed and packed up all our stuff. Alice started to gather up her hair, but I stopped her.

"Leave it, that son of a bitch can do that." I told her, holding the door open and making sure Roxanne was okay in my hood. Alice smiled and nodded, walking out after me.

"Here's the keys." I said, throwing them at his face as we walked out of there and into the cool Nevada night. Alice grabbed my hand and stopped me from walking.

"In five seconds, a Raccoon is going to jump up and out of that trashcan, and the guy at the front desk is goanna come out yelling." She whispered, and I stared at her strangely.

"One, two, three…" She whispered, and just as she said it, the raccoon jumped out of the trashcan screaming and throwing trash all over the place, and the guy from inside came running out, yelling and scaring it away, just like she said. I turned to her with wide eyes.

"Dude, you really _can_ see the future…" I breathed, amazed. She nodded her head and giggled.

"That is _so_ cool!" I yelled, laughing. The guy turned around and glared at us.

"Oh, so now all of a sudden raccoons are cool because they throw around some trash? I could have been hurt you know. Ever heard of Rabies?!" He yelled at me, making me laugh even harder.

"The world doesn't revolve around you Pizza face, get over yourself." I said with a snort, and started walking back to the RV with a giggling Alice in tow.

"Oh my god, Bella, that was so mean!" Alice said once we were inside RV. I pulled Roxanne out of my hood and threw her on the bed, while I took of my shoes and put them in the closet.

"What was?" I asked, thinking back on everything that just happened. I couldn't really figure out what I'd done that was so mean.

"What you just said to him, poor guy is probably crying right now." She said with a giggle. I raised my eyebrows at her and started pulling out some food for us.

"That wasn't mean Alice, that's just the way I am." I told her, boiling some water for our noodles and preparing everything else. Alice sat Indian style on the couch, resting her head in her hand.

"You're a lot nicer to me." She said, staring up at me. I shrugged. She was the first person, besides Emmett, that I didn't feel the need to be mean to. I wasn't mean to any of my boyfriends, or James and Tyler for that matter. But I was rude to all of them. I guess that's why I haven't dated anyone longer then three months.

"You can start eating, I need to go get some gas." I told her, pulling out a hose that was cut off on each end, but still long. Alice stared at me in confusion.

"But there's no gas station here." She said, stuffing her face with food. My guesses were that she hadn't eaten for a while.

"I know," I said, pulling out an empty gas tank and giving her a wink. Her fork stopped half way to her mouth as she stared at me with wide eyes.

"You _stealing_ gas?!" She asked me incredulously. I rolled my eyes at her and nodded, slipping my feet into a pair of boots.

"Watch Roxanne for me, would you? I'll be back in a few." I said, jumping out of the RV and sneaking further into the camping spot and over to another Camping car, where the people were sleeping. I opened the tap and stuffed one end into the gas before I opened my own little gas tank and taking off the lid. I sucked on the other end of the hose until the gas stared coming out, spitting out the nasty liquid that squirted into my mouth.

After filling it up and putting the lid back on, I rolled up the hose and closed the tap on the camping car neatly. I walked over to my own RV and got in without anyone seeing me. Alice glared at me slightly as I came in.

"Its not nice to steal Bella." She told me sternly, but she kept on eating anyway.

"Its not nice to break the rules ether Alice, but your breaking one right now. I told you not to bitch to me when I stole stuff. I don't steal from people I like or people I do business with, just strangers." I said, feeling the need to explain myself.

"Like now for instance. Your eating stolen goods, but it still tastes just fine, right?" I told her, sitting down and eating my own food.

"I guess, I just don't like it. It makes me feel bad." She said, frowning.

"Its not like I'm asking you to steal or anything." I reminded her, eating more of my own food. Roxanne came out of the bedroom, sniffing the air. I threw an apple on the floor and she attacked it happily.

We didn't talk more about my stealing habits, but I could tell that she didn't like it.

"Well, your bed is up there, and I'm going to bed now. Here's a t shirt you can sleep in." I said, handing her one and pointing to where everything was.

"Goodnight Alice." I said, picking up Roxanne and crawling under the covers with her.

"Goodnight Bella. And thank you, for everything." She said from her bed on the other side of the RV.

"Don't mention it Alice." I said sleepily, pulling Roxanne close to my neck where she curled up into a ball. I grabbed the ring around my neck in my fist, holding it tightly.

I really hoped I would see Edward again, someday.

* * *

**AN: So, you like it? **

**I know, poor Alice. But, at least she's safe now :)**

**I hope you leave a small Review before you leave! (No Flames!)**

**- STS-**


	6. SIX

**Still not mine!**

* * *

Age 18 - Bella POV

"Bella, Bella get _up_!" Alice hissed, shaking my shoulder roughly. I groaned and screwed my eyes shut tighter, silently willing her to go back to bed, or at least leave me alone.

"Come on, they'll come soon! We need to leave, _now_!" She hissed, standing in only a t shirt and boy shorts, her spiky hair sticking up all over the place.

"What the hell are you talking about? I paid for us to stay here until eleven, it can't be more than-" I checked what time it was on my cell, "Six in the morning, _Alice_!" I whined. She let out a little squeak before she ran out of my room, grabbed the car keys and started up the camper. I jumped out of bed quickly, and ran towards her, but she started up the camper with a lurch, sending me flying back on the bed.

"Alice! What the hell are you doing?! You can't drive!" I yelled at her, trying to get up again.

"I told you stealing was bad, and you stole from rednecks Bella! They figured it out! They know it was you!" She yelled, stomping on it. I got up and tried to stand up with her crazy driving.

"Can you at least try to drive straight!" I yelled, clutching the doorframe. Roxanne glided past me on the floor, her soft fur slick on the chess patterned linoleum. Alice turned sharply, almost too sharply for such a huge car, before she started slowing down.

"Quick, you need to drive and get us away from here. _Now_!" She said, grabbing Roxanne of the floor and strapping herself into the seat beside mine. I jumped into the drivers seat and hurried away from there.

"Okay, you need to tell me what happened," I said with a grin, now fully awake and more exited then ever.

"The grass was newly cut and wet last night, so they followed the trail you'd made back to your RV, or they would have if I didn't wake you up. They didn't write down the license plate number ether. That's why I had to start the car, so we would be too far away for them to see it." She explained in a rush, her eyes big and scared. I started laughing, loudly, making her stare at me horrified.

"How can you laugh at this?! They're after us, Bella, and they have your last name!" She said horrified. I snorted and tried to control my laughter.

"Okay first off, they might be after us, but they don't know where we're going so that doesn't really matter. Second, they don't have my name." I told her with a big smile, speeding up slightly just to make sure we were ahead of them. Not that they could get anywhere without gas.

"What do you mean they don't have your name? I saw you sign in last night," She asked, gesturing wildly with her hands.

"If your goanna be on the run, Alice, you need to learn something. Never give up your real name. Chances are, they never check them anyway. The only name they have is a Miss. Job, Blow job." I said in a James bond like voice, trying to make her laugh. She didn't, but she relaxed slightly.

"See, they don't have my name, and they don't have the number on _our_ RV," I said, empathizing the word _our_. Her eyes widened slightly, and a small smile grazed her lips.

"And always pay with cash, so they can't trace your card. You need to trust me Alice. I know what I'm doing." I told her, and she nodded her head, snuggling a sleepy Roxanne closer to her chest.

"And thanks for driving us away from there. It wouldn't of been a pretty sight if they caught us." I said with a laugh. Alice got out of the seat and placed Roxanne in my lap before pulling on a pair of sweat pants, hiding her bruised legs.

"I'll make us some breakfast." She said, her mood a little lighter. I slowed down so the car wouldn't sway too much when she cooked. She started making eggs and bacon, something I hadn't had in ages. I couldn't really cook, and it's not like Renee ever made food. She just bought some cerial and milk, and that was pretty much it.

My phone started ringing from the bedroom, and Alice grabbed it and handed it to me wordlessly. I was in a too good mood to bother checking just who was calling. Big mistake on my part.

"Hello," I answered cheerfully, keeping a close eye on the road. It was too early in the morning for cars to be out and about, but there were those few crazy people who were out driving this early willingly.

"Isabella Marie Swan! You get your ass back to Forks right _now_!" Renee's voice screamed through the phone. I jumped at the volume, making the camper sway slightly. Something fell of the counter, making Alice squeak in surprise.

"Well hello to you too dearest mother of mine. You know, Renee, I think this is the first time you've actually ever called me. I didn't know you even _had_ my number." I said coldly, reminding her just how much she didn't care about me.

"Oh don't give me all that crap, just stop all this shit right now and come home!" She yelled, and I could tell that she'd just gotten home from work. Charlie was snoring in the back, like he always was. I swear that man slept more then a person in a coma. And that's saying someting.

"I am home, right now." I answered her tightly. The little rat shack I'd grown up in wasn't a home.

"Don't get smart with me young lady. I come home, tired after a hard day of work, to find all my jewelry gone, and a note on my bed, saying, and I quote '_bye mom, have a nice life_!'" She shrieked, making even Alice jump.

"I meant that, by the way. And I'm 18, so you really can't go all Nazi on my ass ether, I'm a legal adult now." I said, trying to get a rouse out of her. I didn't hate her, but I didn't love her ether. She growled at me in frustration.

"What? Your not 18 yet! Don't you think I would know when my own ungrateful brat turned 18?!" She snareld loudly, and I could hear her banging around with something. Probably stuff in my bedroom.

"Actually, I turned 18 two days ago, which was the day that I left. The fact that it took you two days to understand that I ran away from home should infact be proof enough to show you that, no, you wouldn't know when your ungrateful brat turned 18. Just a theory of course." I said dryly.

"You think your so smart, huh? You worhtless little whore. The town was talking about us enough as it is, and then you go and pull something like this?! What do you think their going to say about me now, huh?! Did you even think about that before you just took of like some trailor trash?!" Funny how she mentioned a trailor, seeing as that was what I was living in at the moment.

"I don't know, _Mother_, same thing they've said all along, maybe? I don't see what the big deal is, its not like anyone liked you to begin with anyway. Besides, its not like that's my problem." I muttered.

"You sneaky little bitch, where are you goanna go then, huh? Quitting school behind my back and running away. I don't know when you turned 18, but it doesn't make you an adult. You're a stupid, foolish little girl that nobody likes. And am I really _that_ horrible to live with? I just give and give and give when it comes to you." She hissed, trying to play the guilt card on me. I rolled my eyes and took a left turn. We were going to Vegas today.

"You kind of have to be at home and see a person for them to be horrible to live with. And the only giving you've been doing is yelling, so I don't really think that counts." I replied, driving a little faster. Cars were staring to fill up the roads, but I didn't pay them much attention.

"But I'm not quitting school completely, just for the moment. So don't worry, _mother_." I mocked her, annoyed.

"And what about money? My jewelry wont keep you on your feet for long. Wont get you far ether. Your probably sleeping with an older man like some cheep little whore. I saw those condoms, don't think I didn't!" She said with a bitter laugh.

"I thought I'd raised you better," She muttered, and I could just imagine her rolling her eyes in only a way Renee Swan could.

"You didn't raise me, I raised myself." I told her sharply. I didn't care if she'd seen some condom rappers. It wasn't like I was trying to keep it a secret. She knew about all the boyfriends I'd had over the years, so it would surprise me if she didn't know about it. I mean, it was pretty obvious.

"I changed your diapers!" She yelled, like that would matter.

"I wouldn't mind sitting in my own fucking shit if that meant you'd get some kind of power over me later in life! Thanks for feeding me as a kid, I'm happy about that, now leave me alone and never call again. I don't want anything to do with you anymore. I'm done with you for good woman." I told her through gritted teeth.

"Don't come crying to me when you fall on your ass. You were a mistake and I'm happy that you're gone." She snarled, and hung up on me. I closed my phone and placed it in Alice's seat beside me, gripping the steering wheal.

"Breakfast's ready." Alice said quietly.

"Cool, I just have to find some place to stop. Hopefully we can go to the bathroom there too," I said, trying to forget that my mother called at all.

"So, where are we going today?" Alice asked, placing our plates on the table. I drove into a Walmart, and parked the camper.

"Las Vegas," I answered and cracked egg into a small container and put it on the floor for Roxanne to eat, before settling down in my seat.

"I wondered how you knew so much about running away and stealing and stuff, you've been planning this." Alice said, looking mighty pleased with herself.

"I've planned this, yes, but I've been a shop lifter all my life and most of this stuff just comes naturally." I told her with a shrug, taking another bite.

"This is really good, by the way." I told her, amazed. The best food I'd ever had was from Burger King, not that that was too much to brag about.

"Thanks, so why are you running away from home?" Alice asked me, and I was slightly surprised by her boldness. She'd been quiet and sort of shy the whole time we'd spent together.

"I was sick of being there, and sick of the people there…I come from a very small town, where everybody knows everybody and nothing ever happens. I sort of became the town outcast, because I always caused trouble. I felt like I was wasting my life by staying there." I stopped talking and took a huge gulp of water.

"There's too much to see in this world, and I was missing out on it by staying there." I said, scraping out the rest of my food and drinking up the rest of my water. Alice nodded her head and took our plates and placed them in the sink.

I pulled on a pair of pants and slipped into my shoes.

"Come on Roxanne, time to go do our business." I said, picking her up and grabbing the keys, closing the door behind us.

I washed my face in the bathroom and tried to fix my hair slightly. Roxanne did her thing in the sink, thank candy for that. It wouldn't be fun cleaning up after her. I put her on my shoulder and we walked out of there together and into the big shopping center.

"We need to get you some hair jell and I need a monster," I said walking down the isles. I grabbed a mascara and an eyeliner, slipping it into my big pants pockets. Alice grabbed my arm and glared at me.

"What?" I muttered, annoyed. She opened her mouth to say something but I put up my hand to stop her.

"Rule two Alice, rule two." She snapped her mouth shut and I grabbed a few more things. I bought a monster and hair gel, with money, yes, and then we walked out of there.

"Could you please give the happy fingers thing a rest?" Alice asked me pleadingly once we were in the RV again. I strapped in and she started to do the dishes with a big frown on her face. Roxanne had gone back to sleeping in my bed.

"Alice please, I don't mind stealing, and I'm not going to stop doing it ether. Besides, it was a five finger discount. Can't you just, turn a blind eye or something?" I asked her, driving out of the parking lot. She didn't answer me, but that was really an answer in itself. No, she couldn't turn the blind eye.

"Okay how bout we compromise. I wont steal unless its necessary. How about that?" I asked her, and she stopped cleaning.

"I guess that could work. I just don't like the thought of stealing. It's not right." She said, going back to cleaning. I sighed and rolled my eyes to myself.

"Well you can't always have your way Alice." I said, ending the discussion there. There was no point for us to fight over something like this, because we wouldn't agree anyway. We agreed on disagreeing.

"What's in Florida anyway?" She asked me after a while.

"My cousin Emmett lives there, so I'm moving in with him." I told her, smiling fondly when I thought of him. He was the only decent family member I had.

"How old is he?" Alice asked, sitting down beside me and strapping herself in.

"He's twenty two, lives in Orlando." I answered her, happy about talking to her again. I didn't like to fight with her. She nodded and smiled back at me.

"He works at a zoo, wrestling alligators for all the tourists," I continued on, even though she didn't ask me.

"Have you tried to figure out what you want to do in Florida, once we get down there?" I asked her curiously. She shrugged slightly and stared out the window.

"I'll get a job and try to find a place to stay I guess. I don't even know if there's a point going back to High School, I've missed so much of it." She said with a sad sigh.

"Start High School with me then and crash in my trailer, you know, until you get your own place, a job and get back on your feet." I suggested, making her smile widely.

"Really? I don't know if I'll be able to keep up in school though." She said hesitantly, biting her lip.

"Then I'll help you keep up, trust me, High School isn't hard." I hardly ever did any work at all, but I only got straight A's. She nodded and smiled.

"Thanks-" She started, but I shook my head.

"I was serious last night, don't mention it." I said with a small laugh. I put some music on and turned up the volume, singing along to all the songs.

We were waiting for green light in a busy street when this school bus drove up beside us, with kids our age. The buss driver was an old man, who looked like he had fifty lemons in his mouth if you judged by his sour expression. I glanced at the lights quickly and saw that it was still red.

I started honking my horn like crazy, and pulled down my pants and panties, flashing them the whitest ass they'd probably ever seen in their life.

"Bella!" Alice yelled, horrified, while I laughed my head off. I pulled my pants up again, sat down and started driving away from all the clapping teens.

"Dude, that was so cool!" I yelled, turning the music down slightly. Alice just sat there, gaping at me.

"I can't believe you just did that…" She said, snapping her mouth shut.

"You have to admit, it was kinda funny." I said, trying to get her to stop being so uptight.

"But what if they're going to Vegas or something, or you meet them again some place-" I waved her off and rolled my eyes. Buzz kill.

"You need to live a little. So what if I meet them again some time? It's just my ass. Stop being so uptight. In fact, I think you should flash someone next." I said with a mischievous grin, and her eyes widened in horror.

"No, I could never…" She said, shaking her head, but I could hear the little bit of excitement in her voice.

"Of course you can! Next red lights, and you flash someone. What's the worst that can happen?" I tried, and I could tell she was going with it.

"I guess it wouldn't be _too_ bad…" She said hesitantly. I gave her a bright smile and pointed at the next light.

"That's our stop, now moon those people baby!" I yelled, slapping the steering wheal for effect. Alice got a very determent look on her face, and she took of her seatbelt, and grabbed her pants and boy shorts.

"Ready?" I asked, and she nodded. I started honking the horn, and she placed her skinny butt on the window laughing. She wiggled it for effect before sitting back down and hiding her face in her hands.

"I can't believe I did that!" She yelled, half horrified and half gleeful. I laughed at her and looked out the window to see who she'd flashed. It was an old couple, and the man looked like he had a heart attach. Alice didn't see it, and our light turned green so I drove out of there quickly before she noticed.

"Me nether, that was so much fun." I said, chuckling. I wasn't going to tell her about the old man, he was probably fine anyway. I hoped. Out of sight, out of mind.

Alice straightened up in her seat and strapped herself back in, her face slowly going back to white from being pink.

"Look, my hands are shaking." She said with a nerves laugh, holding out her hand. She was shaking like a leaf.

"I think that's the wildest thing I've ever done in my life." She said, clasping her shaking hands together in her lap and keeping her eyes on the road.

"I'm guessing you've never been drunk or high before?" I asked her with a teasing smile. She shook her head, her cheeks turning pink again.

"How old are you anyway?" I asked, realizing just now that we didn't really know that much about each other.

"I'm sixteen," She said, looking a little confused. She looked older though, which was a good thing.

"When we get to Vegas, we'll get you good and drunk." I told her with a smile, and she looked at me skeptically.

"And if I don't want to?" She asked me, almost challengingly.

"Then you can watch me get good and drunk." I said with a laugh. She smiled and shook her head at me.

"You are something else Bella," She said, laughing. We talked more about ourselves for the rest of the trip down to Vegas. I told her about my childhood and how my mom always forgot about me and my dad always slept. I edited a lot though. Alice might be nice and all that, but I'd just met her, and Emmett was the only other person who knew just how it was to live with the Swans. I also told her about how it was growing up in a small town, and I told her _all_ about Edward.

"But why didn't you stay with him?" She asked me confused, her black brows scrunched up in confusing.

"Why should I? It was just a crush, and I'm not goanna throw away moths of planning by a very, _very_ hot make out session. That would just be stupid." I said, shrugging.

"There's millions of guys out there, so why settle for someone who you probably don't even fit with in the long run? We were always fighting, and I _did_ beat him up kinda often." I said, smiling fondly. I would miss Edward and his gorgeous green eyes- I stopped thinking there. _No need to dwell._

"Still, maybe you should of stayed for a while longer, just to see what would happen." She shrugged, dragging her hand through her short spiky hair.

"And actually have a reason to stay? No thanks." I said, shaking my head.

I'd given him my ring, just like he'd given me his. He knew which state I was in, and if he really wanted me that bad, he'd come. But that didn't mean I was going to wait around for him.

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**AN: Whoever reviews gets a sneek peek at the next chapter!**

Review? :)


	7. SEVEN

**Nope - Still not mine!**

_Okay, so a lot of you are asking, when is Edward coming back, when do we get to see things from his POV??!! _

_There is a reason why you won't see anything from his POV until those five years have passed. And before you start sending me hate mail, it won't be that long until those five years have passed. Trust me, it will be worth your while. I love me some Edward just as much as the next girl, so I promise I won't disappoint you guys. There shall be lots of __**BellaXEdward**__ moments through this story!_

_Now, read, enjoy and leave a_ **review** _at the bottom please ;)_

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Age 18 - Bella POV

"We're in Vegas baby, yeah!" I yelled, pumping my fist in the air. I'd always wanted to go to Vegas and gamble and just check out what the big deal about this place was.

"I don't get why your so happy about this. We're not twenty one so we can't drink or gamble or even get into the good casinos around here." Alice said, and then rolled her eyes and huffed at herself.

"But I'm guessing you have a plan for that as well." She said, throwing Roxanne up in the air and catching her again. Roxanne made her happy little Ferret sounds, trying to attack Alice's fingers while Alice threw her up in the air again.

"Of course I do. Just put on something fancy with a cleavage, a fake ID and you'd be surprised at how far you'll come in this world." I'd done this in Seattle and Port Angels before whenever there was a party or I wanted to buy something to drink. My boyfriends were usually over 21, and they always offered to buy booze for me, but where was the fun in that? James and Tyler were in deep shit now that I left town, because they'd never tried to buy liquor before._ Ahh, the perks of having breasts..._

"Why am I not surprised," She muttered to herself.

"Because you're a smart cookie." I said with a laugh, swinging into a rest stop before we hit the big city.

"We need to change, and I need to make you a fake ID." I said with a grin, walking over to my closet. I had one dress, which I'd stolen from my mom. It was too big for me and way to big for Alice. But it was a dress none the less.

"Do we really need to go to the fanciest place there is?" Alice asked me, looking down at herself self-consciously.

"I guess not. But lets try to find something that'll make us look a little older." I said, throwing the black dress down on my bed. Alice nodded and came to see what I had.

After a lot of discussions about what was fashionable and in or out, we settled on something that made us look good, and Alice put make up on us to make us look older.

I took a picture of her face and pulled out a small box containing everything I needed to make a fake ID. A little gift I'd gotten from one of my former boyfriends, Felix. The guy was a total creep, and we'd only dated for two weeks until I broke it of. He was insane, and not in a good way.

"What do we do with Roxanne?" Alice asked, holding my little fur balled friend in her hands, kissing her nose and making faces at her.

"Put her in her cage," I said with a shrug. I might love her, but I didn't trust her. She'd probably drag out the trash and ruin all our clothes. I might love her, but she could be a mean little fucker when she wanted to be.

"Do you think the ID thing's goanna work? I don't look like I'm 21!" I nodded my head knowing that it would. I'd done this so many times before, I knew what would work and what wouldn't.

Twenty minuets and one fake ID later, we drove into another parking lot that had a casino across the street. I picked up my purse and jumped out after saying a quick good bye to Roxanne, promising that we would come back soon.

"Lets go," I said excitedly, handing Alice her own ID. We walked to a casino across the street that was filled to the brim with people.

"Do you think I could borrow a quarter?" Alice asked me, yelling slightly over all the people talking. I nodded and handed her one, following after her as she went straight for the slot machines. She kept touching every single one, but walked straight past most of them before stopping at a random one and putting the quarter in it. She pulled the thing and the next second the machine started spitting out money like crazy.

"Alice! You won!" I yelled excitedly, and then I remembered that she could see the future and probably saw all of this. She laughed at my enthusiasm as I handed her a cup to have all her coins in.

"How much was it?" I asked her, grinning.

"Only two hundred dollars, but it's a start." She said with a wink before walking away from it and touching everyone else before she stopped at one and won on that too. I followed after her, too exited about this to play myself.

"So did you see all of this too?" I whispered to her and she shook her head no, her blue eyes focusing on the back of her hand.

"I mostly dream about the future and if something really is going to happen, I get visions in the middle of the day. But its like my mind is telling me which one I'll win on, subconsciously anyway." She said with a shrug as she collected her next winning price.

I was about to put a coin into one of the slots when her hand stopped me.

"Your not goanna win on that. Go try out the poker table, I have a good feeling about it." She said with a wink as she walked away from me, practically stealing money from the casino.

I sat down at one of the poker tables where they were just about to start a new round. There were only older males there, some even had prostitutes hanging off their shoulders. They looked surprised as I put my chips on the table.

"Are you sure you want to play with us, Miss? I'd feel awful about taking all your money." An old southern man said, his face turning red as he laughed, the dumb blond ditz hanging off his shoulder laughed with him, but it was obvious that she didn't get the joke.

"I think I'll give it a try. Please go easy on me, its my first try." I said innocently, and ordered a martini from one of the waitresses. It wasn't a complete lie. It _was_ my first time. In Vegas.

A tall man with dirty fingers handed out cigars to all the players, except me. I knew what that meant. I had to prove myself to get one of his precious cigars. Fine by me.

I won the first round, and that was a good thing too. They all expected me to lose, so they'd thrown in a little extra since I'd thrown in a hundred. Not a smart move.

"I thought you said this was your first time, miss." The southern man said angrily, his cheeks pink as I hauled in my winnings.

"It is. In the state of Nevada." I said with a laugh, making the rest of them glower. I did, however, get a cigar. I chewed off the end and spit it out, while the tall man that handed them out lit it up for me. I nodded my thanks and took a deep drag before blowing it out slowly.

I didn't usually smoke, only at parties or to just stink up the house to piss of Renee. But when I smoked, I always enjoyed it.

I played a few more rounds, only losing twice. But, I left with _way_ more money then I came with. I found Alice playing black jack at one table, with a lot of frustrated people around her.

"Alice, please tell me you aren't winning every single round." I whispered in her ear, standing right behind her.

"I am, why? Isn't that the whole point of playing?" She said, winning yet another round. An old woman left the table angrily, stalking over to one of the security guards.

"They'll come and ask you if your cheating soon, so lose small sometimes, okay?" I whispered, and she nodded her head distracted. She lost the next round, but she didn't lose a lot.

"I guess that's the end of my lucky round." Alice giggled, collecting all her chips and putting it into a third bucket.

"We should go put your money in the RV and go to another casino, people here are starting to notice us." I said, tugging at her sleeve. We walked out of there quickly, and I grabbed a bottle of vodka from one of the waiters trays without her noticing.

"Bella! I have six _thousand_ dollars! Can you believe it? I won it all, and it was so much fun!" She said, pumping her fist once in the air in triumph as we walked back to the RV. The first thing she did when we got in was bending down and grabbing Roxanne out of her cage, hugging her sleeping form tightly and showering her head with kisses.

"I just won six thousand dollars, Roxanne! I've never had that much money before in my life!" Alice said happily into her ear.

I put the bottle down on the counter and stretched my arms high above my head, letting out a huge yawn.

"Cool tattoo, where did you get it?" She asked me, staring at my leg with interest, giving Roxanne a chance to open her eyes and actually wake up. She was shaking her head, disoriented.

"I made it myself, and a guy in Seattle tattooed it for me." Her eyes widened and she stood up, handing me Roxanne. I patted her tiny head absently.

"Your really good. I didn't know that you could draw." She said, making us some dinner. I smiled and grabbed a photo album from underneath the bed.

"This is all the people I've tattooed, and of course their tattoo's. Its how I could afford the RV." I said with a proud smile, handing it over to her. She looked at everyone and I took over the cooking, giving Roxanne something to eat too.

"Wow, Bella this is amazing. I didn't know you tattooed people, I just assumed you'd stolen the RV too. No offence." She said with a shrug. I stared at her, mock offended.

"Hey! I would never steal something like an RV. I worked my butt of and earned my money. But then again, I did steal the tattoo machine. Besides, I haven't really told that many people about it. Heck, Emmett just figured it out, and I've been doing this shit for years." I said with a giggle, and Alice shook her head, taking over dinner again.

"Why not? These are fantastic. It's not like you have anything to be embarrassed about." She stated, curious. She poured the soup into two deep boles, and grabbed two spoons as well.

"No one's ever asked." I said with a shrug, ending the conversation there and looking at the pictures of my work. I remembered every single one. Some more clearly then others.

"How long are we staying in Vegas anyway?" Alice asked me, putting our plates with steaming soup on the table.

"I don't know, a couple of days, tops. There's a lot of things to do here, and we're practically taking their money. And I might be able to do some business and get a few connections here." I said, sitting down and digging in. Alice cut up some bread and gave me a slice before sitting down herself.

"I have a feeling that we should be going to Florida as soon as possible." She said with a small frown. I glanced up at her questioningly.

"I don't know, I just have this feeling that we shouldn't delay going to Florida. It's important. It's not like we need to leave now, but pretty damn soon. I don't know why though… It's probably nothing, but I've learned that following my gut is usually the smart thing to do." She said with a shrug, but she'd gotten this small pucker between her eyebrows.

"Sure, we can leave sooner. It's not like Vegas is ever going away." I answered with a small smile. It was like she said, probably not a big deal at all.

"So I was thinking, since I have money now, maybe we could go shopping. You know, just so I'd have some clothes of my own." She said casually, staring down at her food.

"Sure…" I said hesitantly. I didn't like shopping. At all, but I didn't mind going every once in a while. Her whole face lit up into a big smile.

"Great! I haven't gone shopping in almost a year," She said sadly, but still exited. I stopped eating and stared at her.

"How long did those bastards keep you locked up?" I asked her, feeling my mood darkening. Alice stopped eating too and started pushing her food around instead.

"They kept me locked up in the dark for three weeks, but I've lived with them for ten months. _'Shopping is a sin, Mary'_" She said in a deep voice, shaking her head.

"I'm glad I can't dream, because I'm sure I would have nightmares." She said with a small laugh, trying to lighten the mood, but it didn't really work. I started eating my food again, and so did she.

"What do you mean, do some business? You don't sell drugs, do you?" Alice asked, changing the subjects. I chuckled and shook my head.

"I might be a liar and a thief, but I'm not stupid." I said, pointing my spoon at her. She shrugged, trying to hide a smile.

"I meant get to know people and maybe tattoo them. I earn a lot doing just one, and then I wouldn't have to steal and I'd get you on my case little miss saint." I teased her with an eye roll.

"Really? Your goanna stop stealing?" She asked excitedly. I snorted.

"Hell no, just cut back on it." I answered, and her shoulders slumped.

"Your rolling with the wrong kind of person Alice," I said with a laugh, putting our stuff in the sink and stuffing Roxanne back into her cage. Alice hurried after me out of the camper.

"Your not a bad person Bella, you just have bad morals." She told me matter of fact as we walked down the street, looking for a place with cheap clothes.

"Isn't that the same thing?" I asked her, razing an eyebrow. She shook her head and dragged me into a shop I normally wouldn't be caught dead in. Everything was pink, white and baby blue.

"No, there's a difference. You can change your morals." She said, holding up a pink top in front of herself. She put it over her arm and kept on walking, her pile only getting bigger. She turned to me and stared at me, puzzled.

"Aren't you getting anything Bella?" She asked confused, and I had to laugh at her naivety.

"Ah, no thanks, I quit first grade a few years ago." I said with a snicker. Actually, I don't think I would have been caught dead in something like this even in first grade. Alice sighed and rolled her eyes.

"These outfits are cute! What's wrong with this one?" She asked me, holding up a white t-shirt with a puppy on it.

"I think you mean, what's _not_ wrong with it." I corrected her lightly. She pursed her lips and put it back on the rack without another word.

A woman popped out off nowhere, and I had to bite my knuckles to keep from laughing. Her boobs were big enough to put Dolly Parton to shame, and her hair taller then Big Ben. I don't know how she could move her lips when they were that big and full of Candy knows what. Let's just say it looked like a porn magazine threw up on her.

"Hi girls! I can see you have quite the pile there little lady! Are you finding everything to your liking?" She asked, smiling the fakest smile I've ever seen. Alice smiled back and nodded enthusiastically.

"Good, good. And what about you, isn't there _anything_ in here you like?" If it were possible, her smile just turned faker. I snorted loudly and crossed my arms over my chest.

"Oh I'm fine, I don't really like to look like a unicorn just puked all over me." I answered her in a condescending way, that I just _knew _would annoy the hell out of her.

Her eyes widened and her smile disappeared quicker then lightning. She put her hands on her thick waist and glared down at me. And I glared right back. Alice muttered something under her breath and she blushed a violent shade of red.

"So our clothes here aren't good enough for you, is that it? I'll have you know all our clothes are designer, and from France!" She said with a smirk.

"Yeah, I can tell. How much did you pay the baby girl who designed them?" I mocked her, trying to hide my smile. Her face turned purple and she grabbed all of Alice's clothes. She tried to protest, but it was useless.

"Get out, the both of you, or I'll call security!" She shrieked, scaring the others in the store out of there as well. Alice grabbed my hand and started dragging me out of there quickly.

"Fine, call security, and while your at it, call the unicorn and ask if it can shoot rainbows out of its ass!" I yelled into the store before the door closed, scaring some of the people around us. I wasn't one to let others have the last word.

"Was that really necessary?" Alice asked me, walking away from me and the store quickly. I could tell she was pissed, so I hurried after her.

"How could you even consider wearing something from that store, it's so-" She stopped abruptly and turned around to face me, making me almost crash into her.

"Its so _me_! I love pink, okay? I'm not like you Bella, I'm _not _mean, I _do _mind stealing and I _don't _like being rude and crude! I'm a small, normally happy, nice little good girl who _likes_ to wear fucking pink!" She yelled, and clapped a hand over mouth, horrified. People walked past us slowly, trying not to stare at the small scene she was making.

"I just swore." She whispered, horrified with herself. I couldn't help it. I honestly tried to stop it, but it was just to much. I bursted out laughing at her ridicules face and her ridicules rant. I had to lean against the wall to keep myself standing.

"Alice! I'm not asking you to turn into me, but come on! Elmo? Your sixteen." I said, trying to keep from laughing too hard. She smiled a small smile and shuffled her feet.

"Look, I'm sorry for getting us thrown out of there." I apologized, which was weird for me. She sighed and shrugged.

"Its fine, just, try not to do it again. I really do need some clothes." She pleaded and I nodded, sipping up my lips with my fingers. We found a new place that looked normal, but still too nice girl for me. She bought clothes and stuff for almost a thousand dollars before I stopped her.

"Alice please, we live in an RV. All this crap wont fit if you buy more stuff. Just wait until we get to Florida. I'm sure Emmett has room for some clothes." I said, already holding too many bags. She sighed wistfully but agreed, and we started walking back to the RV.

It was starting to get late, and I wondered about what Edward was doing. Was he thinking about me, doing homework, hanging out with Jasper and Rosalie Whitlock? I stopped thinking about it and started putting all of Alice's shopping bags on my bed.

"I just want to go to bed right now. Think we'll get a ticket if we stay here overnight?" I asked her, stuffing all her bags under the bed instead. Alice froze up and her eyes glazed over, and she started muttering to herself. I walked over to her cautiously, prying her fingers away from her new purse. She snapped out of it and turned to me with a small smile.

"We'll be fine. Nobody's going to bother us here at all." She said with a shrug, and hung her purse up with our jackets. I smiled and flopped down on my bed, exhausted.

"Good, because I'm planning on sleeping in." I told her sleepily, and pulled Roxanne into my arms. She curled up into a ball and fell into a deep sleep, just like me.

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_**AN:** Okay, nothing much that happened. This was more of a filler chapter. Not too exiting, but it needed to be there. Hope you liked it!_

_And again, Edward is on his way! Just be patient!_

_Review!_


	8. EIGHT

**AN: Still don't own anything!**

**Beware of super long chapter O.o**

**Don't you just love me for updating so quickly? : D I deserve a review from each of you **

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Age 18 - Bella POV

I woke up to Alice humming and banging around in the kitchen, and I almost felt like crying. Yesterday, the rednecks woke us up because I borrowed some gas from them, and now, I'm up at freaking _seven _because Alice is making pancakes. I didn't mind the pancake part, just the I'm up at seven in the morning and Alice is fucking humming, part.

"Alice, what the hell are you doing up now, its seven!" I moaned, claming a hand over my eyes in annoyance. She laughed lightly and put something on the table before continuing on her pancake job.

"I'm making us breakfast Bella. No fan of the morning, are you?" She chirped happily, making me groan and turn away from her and stuffing my face under a pillow.

"No, I like to sleep as much as possible. How the hell can you be happy this early in the morning. It should be illegal." I snapped, pushing the pillow down further around my head.

"Well good thing you don't care about the law then, isn't it Bella? I think you must have rubbed of on me slightly, because I'm illegally happy this morning!" She said with a laugh, and I could hear Roxanne running around in the camper, making small ferret sounds as she played with dust bunny's or whatever the hell she was doing at this unholy hour.

"Are we staying here today or moving on towards Florida?" She asked, flipping a pancake like an expert. I sat up slightly and looked around, scratching the back of my head. Even the sun was awake.

"I don't know, I kinda like Vegas, so I thought we could stay, maybe go to a bar or something, or leave for Florida today. I, _gah_, its too early to think…" I moaned and fell back on the bed, throwing an arm over my eyes sleepily. I hated being up this early with a passion, and I don't think I could handle Alice waking me up this early every morning.

"Come on, breakfast is ready! Roxanne is already eating her pancakes!" Alice said, ripping the sheets off my body. I tried to protest, and almost whimpered when the cold air hit my body like a bucket of cold water. Almost, but I was use to this treatment from Renee every morning since I could walk, so I gritted my teeth and got up, grumbling angrily all the while.

"You do know that there's just two of us, right?" I asked her, staring at the mountain of pancake stacks in front of us. Alice's spiky head bobbed up and down while she chewed her own food.

"I know, but we can just put them in the fridge and eat them cold or heat them up again if we get hungry later on today." She said with a shrug. I sighed and bit into my own breakfast, which was even better then the food she'd made yesterday. If I'd known food could be this good, I would have taught myself how to cook ages ago.

"Does your cousin know that I'm coming with you?" Alice asked hesitantly when she was done eating. I was still stuffing my face slowly, too tired to do anything quickly.

"Nah, but I do know that he wont mind. He's a cool guy." I told her, chugging down some Orange juice. Alice had a steaming cup of black coffee in front of her. No wonder she was so alert, she'd probably been drinking coffee ever since she got up this morning.

"Hey did you go shopping for food? I'm pretty sure I didn't have orange juice or strawberry's. And I know I didn't have coffee around here, cause I hate it." I said, popping a strawberry into my mouth. She blushed slightly and started cleaning her plate and putting stuff away.

"Well, yes, I saw a store last night and wanted to surprise you. Now that I have my own money and you've been so kind to me, I figured I'd make you some breakfast. It's not much…" She said nervously. I raised an eyebrow at her.

"So basically you got up really early and went to the store to buy food so I wouldn't go to the store and steal food?" I asked her, making her shuffle her feet slightly.

"I guess that's one way of putting it." She said hesitantly, staring back at me through her lashes to see if I was mad.

"You don't need to sneak behind my back or anything, just go shopping whenever you feel like it, I don't care. I don't own you, and you don't owe me anything. Do whatever the hell you want, this is your home now too. Just please, for the love of candy, don't _ever_ wake me up this early again." I said with a shudder, and picked Roxanne up and put her in my lap. She rolled around and bit my t-shirt and scratching at my stomach with her tiny paws.

"Thanks Bella." Alice said quietly, and I nodded my head, looking down at my little girl.

"And how are you this morning," I asked her, scratching her belly. She started biting my finger, playing with me. I threw her up in the air and caught her again before putting her back in my lap and playing some more.

"Hey!" Alice yelled suddenly, bending down and picking up something pink off the floor.

"Really, Roxanne?" She huffed, holding a chewed up pair of panties. I started laughing at her and she huffed, throwing them into the trashcan angrily.

"I guess she got bored." I said with a shrug. Alice sighed and glared at Roxanne before going back to cleaning.

"Then we need to buy her some toys so she can chew on something else." Alice said with a huff, making me laugh.

I ate the rest of my food happily, trying to wake up some more. I usually didn't get up this early unless I went to school, and I usually skipped most of my morning classes.

Alice was already dressed for the day, her hair spiked to perfection and her face full of make up, which covered up her almost healed bruises. She'd even done her nails before I'd gotten up, and I started wondering just how early she'd gotten up to get me to stop stealing.

The funny thing was, she looked like someone I would have ether ignored completely or made fun off if we went to school together. Alice was my complete opposite. She was nice, sweet, thought about others before herself and wouldn't hurt a fly for all the money in the world. And she loved girly stuff. Like make up, shoes, clothes, make up, purses, make up, sun glasses, and did I mention make up? All of the things I didn't really care that much about.

Me on the other hand? Rude, loud, obnoxious, mean and selfish. Of course, I had my good qualities too, you just kinda had to look around for them a bit. I did care about clothes though, just not on the same level as Alice did. And my makeup was simple, because I followed the 'less is more' thing, which Alice didn't really seem to care that much about. But then again, comfort always won over style on my part, so who was I to talk?

"Your not goanna put on any more make up?" Alice asked me, biting her lip when I was done applying my layer of eyeliner and mascara. I raised an eyebrow at her.

"No?" I said with a shrug, picking Roxanne up and putting her on my shoulder. She started biting and sniffing my hair, playing around with it while I put on my red converse.

"Are you goanna wear heels today? Alice, we'll be walking around a lot, that's goanna hurt like a bitch." I told her, happy about my own choice. Huge black pants and a black and white T shirt with a bumblebee that was smoking pot covering the whole front. It was one of my favorite shirts. It even had bumblebee wings on the back of it.

"I know, but I look taller in these shoes, and my legs look great…" She mumbled to herself, making me roll my eyes. I would never torture my body like that. But like I always thought when something bad happened, or in this case, _was_ happening, to someone else; Better them then me.

It was starting to get kinda boring, the gambling. At least it was for me. Alice, on the other hand, was having a lot of fun winning game after game. Roxanne was eating peanuts on my shoulder while I was watching Alice win her second game of Black Jack in a row.

"Alice, I think I'm goanna go to the bar and have a drink." I told her, and she nodded, distracted by the game. Although I could tell that she looked over at me every now and then, just to make sure I was there. It was like she thought I was going to run away from her, even though she must have seen in a vision or something that I never would.

A girl with auburn hair, the same color Edwards hair is, and pretty big brown eyes was behind the bar, cleaning a glass. She smiled at me and walked over to where I sat down, putting the glass and rug away too. I was the only one in the bar at the moment, and it looked like she was bored out of her mind.

"What can I get you, miss…?" She asked. I gave her a small smile and pulled Roxanne off my shoulder, putting her down in front of me on the counter top. The girl seemed slightly shocked, but didn't say anything about it.

"A small tray with water for my friend, and an Apple martini for me please. Its Bella," I said shaking her outstretched hand with a tight grip. She smiled at me brightly in return.

"Nessie," She answered and turned around, fixing a small bowl of water for Roxanne before she started fixing my drink.

"So, where are you from, Bella?" Nessie asked, giving me my drink. I took a small sip from it before putting my glass down, watching the small bubbles form around in the green liquid.

"Washington state. You?" I answered simply, not really interested in giving her details. She seemed to except that, and she didn't pry.

"Born and raised here in Vegas. Just opened this casino here with my husband, Jacob Black. We also own a small wedding chapel down the street. He's Elvis." She said with a laugh, taking a glass of water for herself. I laughed with her, picturing some fat guy in an Elvis costume, marrying people off.

"If you guys own the place, why are you working in the bar?" I asked curiously, grabbing Roxanne as she almost tumbled off the bar. She licked my finger in thanks before continuing with the sniffing.

"Oh I love being a bartender, I wouldn't give it up for the world. And Jacob loves his job too, so he decided to stay with that. It doesn't earn much, but it makes him happy." She said with a shrug, and started wiping new glasses. I nodded my head in agreement. No point in doing something your not happy with.

"So what do you do for a living Bella?" Nessie asked with a bright smile. I smiled back at her and took another sip of my drink.

"I'm a tattoo artist. I'm traveling at the moment though, so business has been slow." I said with a shrug. Nessie seemed impressed, and nodded her approval.

"Seams like a pretty cool job. You know, my husband was talking about getting a tattoo not too long ago. He actually picked one out and everything, but then he chickened out. _He's_ _scared of needles_." She whispered the last part with a giggle, making me laugh. I loved it when I got scared people. It was a lot of fun to mess with their heads.

"Well, I could do it of course, but I'm not selling cheap." I warned her, and she rolled her eyes at me.

"I think we'll manage." She said, staring pointedly at the casino behind me.

"What's it's name by the way?" She asked, gesturing towards Roxanne, who was currently licking herself in a very inappropriate way.

"This is Roxanne, I got her from this old dude I knew when I was a kid." I said, trying to make her stop. It was useless of course. She was a very determent young lady.

"She's very cute. Jake's always wanted a dog, but we're too busy. It's a shame though." She said with a sad sigh, petting Roxanne on the head before filling up my drink.

"You know, if you were serious about Jacob getting a tattoo, I'd be more then happy to do it. I haven't been able to tattoo anyone for a week. I kinda miss it." I told her, realizing that I hadn't picked up a pencil in ages. Well, a week to be more specific, but that was a long time for me.

"Great. I just have to trick him into coming. He's okay with showing his weak side to me, but he's too damn proud to back out if I actually got him to sit down with you." She rolled her eyes, muttering about men.

"Cool. Tonight maybe? My friend and I aren't staying here for much longer," I told her. Although, when she said that he was scared of needles, I wouldn't expect him to pick a big one. So I'd probably finish in one night.

"Oh, where are you heading?" She asked, interested.

"Down south, visiting some relatives." I answered vaguely, and she understood that it wasn't okay to pry. She was a bartender, so I assume she's pretty good at reading people by now.

"Well, how about we stop by your hotel room?" She asked, pulling out a pen and paper.

"We're actually traveling in an RV," I said, and told her which neighborhood we'd parked in. She shook her head at me.

"That's not a safe place to stay. You need to come park in our casino parking lot. it's a lot safer. We lock up the parking lot so the junkies wont come in here in the middle of the night to sleep in the bushes." She said with determination. Her brown eyes seemed even darker and more intense against her pale skin, now that the lights weren't shining in from the windows anymore.

"Doesn't it cost money?" I asked, raising my eyebrow at her. I looked back at Alice, who was standing at a slot machine, loosing a few quarters. She saw me looking and glanced up with a smile on her face.

"Oh don't be silly, I'm not going to make you pay. I'll talk to Toby and tell him to let you guys in and park wherever you feel like parking." She beamed. I smiled at her and nodded, making her squeal.

Alice would like Nessie, because their personalities were very much alike. And I started wondering why I only attracted good people all of a sudden. I usually didn't hang with the nice and the honest. It just wasn't me. But here I was, making friends with a woman who owned a business the legal way, with a husband and everything.

"Great. Go get your Camper, and I'll call Jacob. He's not working tonight." She told me with a smile, and yelled at someone to come and cover for her in the bar. I put some money on the counter and picked Roxanne up.

"Hey Alice, we're moving into this new fancy parking lot, And, I just got myself another project." I told her happily. Her face lit up and she grabbed Roxanne from me, kissing the top of her head.

"That's great, lets go now. The security people are goanna come over here soon and ask why I'm winning so much." She whispered, and we walked out of there quickly.

It was starting to get late, and it hadn't really been an exiting day, but at least I would earn some money, and that was always a good thing. And I couldn't wait to pick up the pencil again. A week was just way too long for me. Drawing was like my own, personal addiction.

We were a few blocks away from the RV when my cell started ringing.

"Hello," I answered, and Alice grabbed my arm, stopping me. She pointed at a pet store and ran inside with Roxanne in her hands. I didn't follow her in though.

"Hey Bella," My cousins happy voice sounded through the phone, making me smile. I leaned against the wall to the pet store, kicking a small pebble out of the way.

"So, just wondering how your doing on your little trip. Is everything okay?" He asked me playfully, but I could tell that he was being serious.

"Everything is just fine and dandy. I met a girl on the road, her name is Alice. She's a runaway too, just two years younger then me. She's coming with me, if that's okay with you?" I asked, glaring at an old creepy man who stared at me. I flipped him the bird, and he stopped staring with a huff.

"Bella…do you even know this girl?" Emmett asked me hesitantly. Emmett didn't mind getting to know new people, but he'd always had a healthy dose of skepticism to strangers. He'd seen the worst in people in his lifetime, and didn't underestimate anyone. For someone who'd had such a horrible childhood, long into his teenage years, he was the happiest person I knew.

"I know her well enough to know that she hates it when I steal stuff, she doesn't like it when I'm rude to people, and she's nice to Roxanne." I said, listing off a few things that I knew would win him over.

"And just who might this Roxanne be?" Emmett asked, amused.

"Well if you simply _must_ know, it's my baby ferret. I didn't have her the last time I talked to you. Mr. Clawington gave her to me when I met him in Oregon."

"Isn't he that old creepy dude that lives on the outside of Forks?" He asked, puzzled. Emmett had seen Mr. Clawington once, when I was nine and he was fourteen. I was showing him how to piss off old people, not that he didn't know how to do that already, mind, but I was nine and thought I could do everything better then everybody else.

We'd used a fire extinguisher inside his house, after we'd snuck in in the middle of the night to steal all his candy. It was one big reason why Renee didn't like Emmett. I always got caught doing stuff when he was around. He loved making trouble, he just wasn't very good at it.

"Yeah he is. Apparently, he's goanna kick the bucket soon so he gave me Roxanne since he couldn't take care of her anymore." I said, shrugging to myself.

"So this Alice girl. Is she goanna live with us too, or is she just hiking out of town with you?" Emmett asked, ignoring my remark about Mr. Clawington. He didn't like talking about death after what happened to his mother.

"She's going to stay with me in the RV. I'm just goanna take your backyard Emmett, its not like I'm really moving in. Besides, she doesn't have anywhere to go. They were really mean to her Emmett. I don't know what happened, but some crazy assholes did some horrible stuff to her. Besides, she's really nice, and I think you two will get along great." I told him enthusiastically. I heard him chuckle on the other side of the line.

"I believe you, but just remember, I don't have a lot of cash. Just my dashing good looks…" He trailed off, trying to talk about something else. He wasn't really good with the whole serious thing anyway. But that's just the way he is, so I didn't let it bother me.

"Yeah, yeah. You are the hottest thing since sliced bread, okay? as for the trouble part. Not too much, no. Ran into a little, um, _misunderstanding_ with a few rednecks, but Alice got us out of there before anything happened." I said proudly. It was kinda cool knowing a psychic. I wasn't sure if it was okay with her if I told Emmett, so I kept my mouth shut about it for now. I knew though, that he would except her, and her gift without a question.

"What happened?" He asked, slightly disapproving and slightly amused.

"Well, I was just borrowing some gas which I didn't have any plans of ever returning, and they somehow found out and we almost got busted. But we didn't so there really isn't a big deal." I said, editing on just how close we'd been to actually being caught. Emmett chuckled, and I could almost see him rolling his eyes with his dimpled smile in place.

"Well, moving on. I think this might be one of our last nights in Vegas. I'm tattooing some dude tonight, and I was thinking we could keep going again tomorrow or the day after that. We won't be too long, I promise." I said, smiling at Alice as she came out of the store with a big bag and a huge grin on her face. We started walking again, while Alice played with Roxanne in her arms, ignoring all the people that were giving us strange looks for dragging a ferret around the city.

"Really? Sounds exiting. I can't wait to see you again, its been way too long. Stay out of trouble missy, and I'll see you soon. Love you," He added, trying to end the conversation quickly all of a sudden, and I could hear the TV going on in the background, and a woman's voice. He was probably having one of his many lady friends over.

"Emmett McCarthy, do you have a girl, all alone in your house? Why, you should be ashamed of yourself mister!" I teased him, trying to sound appalled. Emmett snorted loudly.

"Like your one to talk, miss. _I sneak guys into my room more often then I change_ _my own socks_." He teased right back at me.

"Touché, my friend, Touché. Although, that was only four different guys at four different times." I said with a laugh, handing Alice the keys so she could open the RV for us. I hurried inside and sat down at the kitchen table and took a pancake from the plate Alice handed me.

"Excuses, excuses. I need to go Bella, again, I love you," He said, chuckling.

"Love you too Emmett, bye." I told him, and hung up before him. Like I said, I had a thing about having the last word.

"Was that Emmett?" Alice asked, empting the bag full of Ferret toys and other unnecessary crap that Roxanne probably would never need. I picked up a white bottle with the words 'Ferret scrub' on it. I nodded before razing an eyebrow at her.

"What? She needs to stay clean." She said defensively, grabbing the bottle from my hand and putting it into the bathroom.

"Whatever, and yes that was Emmett. He's got himself a lady friend, so he couldn't talk, but he said it was okay for you to come live with him too. And just so you know, Ferrets start to smell if you wash them with soap. So please, don't give her a bath or anything." I told her with a smile, grabbing another pancake off the plate. Alice smiled back at me brightly and yawned.

"If you say so." She said with a shrug, rubbing her eyes sleepily.

"Why don't you try to catch some sleep while I drive us there?" I suggested, sitting down in the driver seat and starting up the big camper. I'd only had one martini, and knew that I would be able to drive it over there just fine.

"I wont get much sleep if your planning on tattooing people in here, and its only a couple of blocks anyway…" She said with a frown. I rolled my eyes and backed out onto the street, stopping a buss from driving in front of us.

"You look tired Alice, and a nap wouldn't hurt you. Besides, Roxanne is sleepy too, and you know how she loves to lay under the blankets all snuggled up and nice and cozy." I reminded her, smiling sweetly at the bus driver that was showing me the finger.

She nodded, too tired to really argue. She was still mentally exhausted from whatever fucked up shit happened to her in that house. Her bruises were mostly faded, but you could still see them, if you looked closely and knew where they were.

She climbed up the latter with Roxanne around her shoulders. She mumbled a quiet 'night' before falling asleep.

It didn't take me long to get to the Casino, and I drove up quickly to the guy, who I assumed was Toby. He was a tall gangly boy with a huge acne problem going on in his face. He was around my age, probably a year or two older then me though.

His eyes widened when he saw the RV, and then he looked up at me with even wider, dreamy eyes. It was starting to creep me out a little, so I cleared my throat to get him to snap out of it.

"Are you, um, Bella?" He asked, staring at me with what he must have thought was a flirty smile. I smiled back at him, but I was clutching Edward's ring in my hand tighter then ever.

"I sure am," I said with a small laugh, making him blush. He straightened up slightly and was about to push a button before he stopped and turned to look at me again.

"You didn't happen to be the girl who flashed her bottom to a school buss this morning?" He asked hesitantly, almost as if he was embarrassed to even be asking.

"Maybe I was, maybe I wasn't. Now please, Nessie is expecting me, so if you wouldn't mind opening the gate…?" I said pointedly. He turned around quickly and fumbled with pushing in the key and the right combination. I waved at him before driving into the parking lot. I double parked my RV, just to make sure nobody would come too close to it.

I could understand why he was so surprised when he saw my RV. The rest of the parking lot was filled up with the most expensive sports cars I'd seen in one place. They were all sleek, shiny and _gorgeous_. I wouldn't mind driving around in one of those, that's for damn sure.

Nessie came out of the building and into the parking lot, her pale skin almost glowing in the dark. She was dragging a dark skinned man behind her, but when he came closer I could tell he was a native American. He was very tall, and you could tell that he had a lot of muscle. He looked a little confused, but otherwise he seemed happy about meeting me.

I opened the door for them and told them to sit down on the couch while I found my beloved Stud Muffin, as I had lovingly dubbed my Tattoo machine. I know it was a bad name, just as I knew Dorky McShorty was a bad name, but giving things, or people names, just wasn't my thing. Which used to annoyed me to no end. I couldn't care less now, but back in the day when I was still the school bully, it had been a pain in the ass.

"So, why are we here? I thought you said we had dinner reservations tonight?" Jake asked, looking down at Nessie curiously. She beamed back up at him.

"I lied. Jake, you said you wanted a tattoo, and Bella here so happens to be a tattoo artist. Isn't it great?!" She asked excitedly from her seat beside him.

I glanced up at Alice. She was still sleeping, as was Roxanne, which was good. The last thing I needed right now was a hyper baby ferret running around my feet while I tried to work.

I could tell by Jake's face that everything certainly wasn't great. His hand balled into a fist, and he swallowed loudly.

"Um, I, uh, aren't you a little young to be a tattoo artist?" He asked me hesitantly. I hated that question. People assumed that just because I was young, I was bad at my job.

"Aren't you a little old to dress up as Elvis everyday?" I asked in return, and handed them my portfolio with Tattoo's I'd done in the past. I'd started when I was 15, and I started earning some serious money at the age of 16. It seamed like people didn't really care how old I was anymore when they saw my creations, or some of my earlier works.

I only showed them the portfolio with tattoo's in, not the once with my drawings. That was more personal, and not something I liked to show people. The fact that I'd given Edward the few drawings that I had had even amazed me.

I'd always had a hard time expressing how I feel with words. I didn't like to talk about my feelings, and I hated crying. Even when I wasn't the one doing it.

So at a very early age, I'd started drawing. On whatever I could find, wherever and whenever I had the chance. It was the only way I knew how to express myself. And it still is. You'd think that a person at the age of eighteen would be able to tell someone if they were sad, or angry or miserable.

It was pathetic.

Jacob chuckled as he flipped through it, and Nessie hung over his shoulder, pointing at the pictures with awe. I smiled as I found my pencils and the rest of the stuff that I needed to draw it up first. I didn't want to brag, but I knew that my pictures were good.

"So, do you know what you want?" I asked him, not really paying attention to what they were looking at.

"You really did all this?" Jake asked in an awed voice, staring at an old Native American tattoo I'd done for this old man named Billy. I nodded my head absently.

"Yeah, I have. So if you tell me what you want, I'll draw it up and we can get started." He nodded his head and smiled down at his wife.

"You know, last time, I really wanted a wolf paw on my chest, but now… Do you think you could draw a cartoon character of Nessie the lock ness monster?" Jake asked, grinning. I laughed too and looked at Nessie, who hit him on the chest playfully.

"Jake! Come on, you can't have a cartoon character as your first tattoo!" She protested, but I could tell that she liked the idea anyway.

"Where do you want it?" I asked Jake, ignoring her. It was his choice after all. And besides, he didn't really want to do this in the first place, she was forcing him, so it was only fair that he could decide what to have.

"On the top of my arm, right here?" He said hesitantly, pointing at his huge arm.

"How about we do a wrap around? Its slightly bigger, and will take about half an hour more with all the scales, but I think I can do it." I told him, ideas of how to draw up the tattoo already zooming through my head. He gulped slightly, and nodded, not saying anything.

I smiled at him reassuringly.

"Don't worry, the first half hour is the worse, after that your arm will be so numb that you wont feel a thing." I told him with a warm smile. My reassurance only seemed to make him pale.

I started drawing up a few sketches, and he actually liked all of them, but decided on the one with big girly cartoon like eyes, and the curvy writing under it saying 'Nessie'. It wrapped around his arm and turned out to almost be half a sleeve, something he seemed pretty nervous about, but the tattoo itself was so cool that he was willing to go through with it.

"I can't believe your tattooing a cartoon of me, Jake! And its so big, what if you regret it?" She asked him hesitantly, but I could tell that she liked it too. I was going to do it in Black and gray, and it had some threads around its body which made it look pretty, and funny because of the eyes. The scales, however, were like hell. I hated doing scales. They took forever.

"I could never regret anything that has to do with you." He told her sweetly, and I could feel my lunch coming up slightly. I'd never liked all that mushy stuff, but it seemed to work for Nessie, because she practically melted on the spot.

I put the outline on his arm and found all my ink while the outline was drying. I usually just drew it on with a pen if it was a simple piece, but that made it almost impossible with all the scales.

"How long will this take?" Jake asked hesitantly, trying to break the silence that had fallen over us all. I shrugged and put on new gloves and checked all my needles. I made sure I had everything and that everything was ready before I switched the machine on.

"It depends on you really. If you faint, it'll take longer because I can't tattoo you while your unconscious. I'll go slow on you first, and then we'll pick up the pace once you don't have so much feeling in your arm anymore. And by the way, if you have to go to the bathroom or anything like that, do it now, because I don't take breaks." I told him, and picked up the machine.

Nessie was clutching his hand on the other side and looking up at him with worried eyes.

"You don't do breaks?" Nessie asked, and I shook my head as I started tattooing. Jake tensed up and his huge muscles bulged out, but I didn't stop and I didn't make a mistake. I was used to people freaking out by now.

"But some of those tattoos were huge, you must have been sitting for hours!" She said, amazed. I smiled as the needle glided through his skin and he clenched his teeth together, refusing to make even the smallest sound.

"The biggest one was done in sessions, but that was also the most detailed one. But the biggest one that I did at once was on the back of this biker dude. Took me 13 hours to finish." I said, remembering the big, fat guy named Dave. He had the most disgusting skin ever, and I really had to work to get the ink into his skin. I'd even have to skip school because of that tattoo. Not that I was complaining about that part, of course.

"Wow," She breathed. We talked more about my tattooing and some of the people I'd done and met because of it. I actually found myself having fun talking to Nessie, which was weird.

Getting so many new friends at once was strange. I didn't really like people that much, so finding so many in one week was new to me.

Jake didn't say anything unless he was asked something. It took me three hours to finish everything, including the shadowing, and I was pretty proud when I was done with it too. It was gorgeous.

I wiped it off with this stinging substance, making Jake frown.

"Now, that wasn't so bad, was it?" I said, taking off the glows and reaching for the camera. I always took a picture of my tattoo's, so I could do a better job on the next one, or maybe get tips while doing a new peace.

"Wow, its stunning…Thank you, Bella. This is really amazing. And so worth the pain." Jake said, looking at it in the mirror. I smiled at his compliment. While the tattoo was a cartoon, it was also artfully done. It was funny and pretty at the same time.

Jake laughed slightly and used his other arm to wipe sweat of his forehead. "Look at the eyes Nessie, they look like yours, it actually kinda look like you…" Jake continued, earning himself another smack on the arm from a laughing Nessie.

"Your not suppose to say that I look like a monster, Jake!" She said, giggling. I shook my head while I started to bandage it up, and I explained how he could take care of the tattoo and what to do if it got infected, which I knew it wouldn't if he did as I said.

"So, how much?" Nessie asked me after I was done bandaging up her husband. I scratched the back of my neck, bringing my hand down to finger the ring that was hanging from my neck absentmindedly.

"Hmm, Like I said, I'm pricy, and I'd normally charge you a lot for such a detailed peace, and its custom made, which means that this tattoo's only yours, and I'll never do it on anyone else. So unless someone takes a picture and does it, you'll be the only one with that Tattoo. But, since I like you guys we'll say 500 Dollars, okay?" I asked them. Jake's eyes widened, but Nessie smiled at me widely and took out her wallet.

"That's really nice of you Bella. Next time your in town, you can stay at our place. Or, better yet, I'll fix you guys a room at my family's hotel." She said excitedly as she handed me the money. I put them in my pocked and smiled back at her.

"You mean there's more then just you here?" Jake asked, looking around. I pointed up to Alice's sleeping form, amazed that she hadn't woken up yet.

"Just Alice, and I'm sure she'd be happy to come back here, and we'd love to stay with you guys. That would be awesome. But, we need to finish up with school first, you know how it is." I said with a small laugh. Nessie and Jake looked at each other and back at me.

"You mean College, right?" Jake asked hesitantly, and he suddenly seemed a lot taller and a lot more grown up.

"No, I'm a senior in High School, and I'm not really sure what Alice is yet. I guess she's a freshman but she might be a sophomore…" I trailed off, unsure. I didn't know the last time she'd been to school, so it was hard to say.

"But you said you were a tattoo artist, and I served you alcohol! I assumed you'd just turned 21…" Nessie trailed off, and she looked at me with this worried look, like I was some kind of…well, I don't know what to call it. The look was strange and I didn't like it. I hardened my eyes and fixed them both with a stare I knew nobody liked to be at the other end of.

"I am a tattoo artist. After school. I've tattooed people since I was 15, I even have a license to do it, so don't give me that look." I told them sternly, choosing to ignore the alcohol part. No need to remind her about that. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath,_ no need to get worked up_.

"We didn't mean to offend you, but, shouldn't you be in school right now? Vegas isn't a place for teens if you don't live here." Jake said, winching slightly as he moved his arm. I wanted to tell them that they could go screw themselves, that this was my business and my life and they had no right to come and talk to me like that. But the truth was, I didn't want to offend them. I had had a great time with them now, and I wanted to come back without any hard feelings between us.

"I'm having a minor vacation, but I'm going back too school, don't worry about us, we'll be fine. Trust me." I said, trying to make my glare go away. I didn't like it when people tried to meddle in my business.

"Okay, well, its getting late, so we should probably go inside. It was nice meeting you, and we'll probably see you tomorrow morning, and hopefully meet this Alice character too. Where is she by the way?" Nessie asked, looking around. Jake was already standing and putting on his shoes again.

"She's sleeping. We've been on the road for a while now, you know how it gets." I lied, because we'd only been on the road for a few days. They didn't seem to notice, and I wasn't about to tell them ether.

"I can come pick you guys up tomorrow morning and bring you back to our place so you could take a shower before you leave, if you want?" Nessie offered sweetly, handing me their phone numbers and the number to the bar and the chapel.

"That would be awesome." I said, because I was sick of having greasy hair and a dirty body. You just couldn't really get clean when you were on the road.

"Okay, I'll come tomorrow morning then. Good night!" Nessie said, stepping outside. It would have been dark hadn't it been for all the lights from the city.

"Thanks again for the tattoo Bella! Hope I see you tomorrow!" Jake called as he put his good arm around Nessie as they walked back into the casino.

"Night!" I called after them, and locked the door after me.

"Finally." Alice said, jumping down from the bed with a very sleepy Roxanne in her arms. I stared at her, surprised.

"You don't like them?" I asked her, raising an eyebrow.

"I like them, I just didn't want them to see me right now, my hair is a _mess_." She said, looking at herself in the mirror. I rolled my eyes at her and started to clean my needles and put everything back in its place.

"So we're leaving tomorrow then, after our shower?" Alice asked, pulling on her pajamas, which was pink silk. I could tell that she was still tired, although I really didn't know how long she'd been sleeping with me and Nessie talking like two old hags downstairs.

"Yep, I want to surprise Emmett and come a little early. I miss the big guy. And I want to follow your gut feeling and leave a bit sooner." I said, thinking of Emmett's surprised face when he saw us early then he expected. Emmett absolutely loved and adored surprises.

"No stops on the way then?" Alice asked me, and she stopped frowning at her face long enough to turn around and stare at me.

"Well, whatever comes our way will come our way, you just don't get a say in that. But I'm not planning on stopping anywhere, if that's what your asking. Why, you have a place you want to stop by or something?" I asked her, putting away my now fit for a Queen Tattoo Machine, also known as Stud Muffin.

"No, not really. I just like staying at one place. I'm not really into the whole traveling thing. I like to know what to expect in life." She said with a shrug, taking the milk out of the fridge.

Her hand froze around it and I jumped up and out of my seat to take the milk out of her hand before she'd crush it and spill milk all over the place. She snapped out of it after a few minutes, snatching the milk up off the counter and staring at the seven year old missing boy in the picture.

"Little Ronald. Been gone for two weeks now…" She muttered to herself. I furrowed my brows and grabbed the milk carton out of her hands to read for myself.

"Did you have a vision about him?" I asked her, looking back up at her face. She stared of into space and nodded her head absently.

"Yeah, he's dead, I mean, he is going to die. Their not goanna make it Bella. He'll be dead ten minuets before they get there." She said, her eyes going blank staring off into space as if we were discussing something that held very little interest for her.

"Can't you call the police? Tell them Alice, before its too late!" I yelled, flinging my phone at her. She shook her head and looked another way, not meeting my gaze.

"And tell them what? That I can see the future and that the kids going to be dead before they even get there? You don't think that would look just a _little _suspicious on my part?" She said angrily, wiping her eyes roughly and flinching slightly as she pressed her bruise too hard. I hadn't realized that she'd started to cry.

"You know Alice, some things are bigger then you. You need to tell the police Alice, that little boy has a family that's probably worried sick about him! Do you really want to have his death on your conscience?" I asked her angrily, picking my phone up and fixing it so the cops would only get up a hidden ID. I didn't know if they had some kind of super machine to tell who's number it was, but right now that little boy was slightly more important then my cell phone.

"There, now you can call in anonymously." I said, holding the phone out, the number on the milk carton already dialed. All she had to do was press the call button.

"Stop being selfish Alice and call the fucking cops!" I yelled, shaking the phone slightly. She snatched it out of my hand and pressed the button, biting her thumb nail as she waited for the cops to pick up. She gave them all the information on where Ronald was without actually saying who she was or where her call was coming from.

"Was that so damn hard?" I asked her harshly, picking the phone up off the table and throwing it on my bed. I started to change into my big T-shirt and boy shorts for the night angrily. Maybe I was wrong about Alice after all. Maybe she wasn't such a good person, as I'd originally thought.

"No, it wasn't." She said quietly, picking up Roxanne and putting her on my bed. I sighed loudly and closed my eyes for a moment before opening them again.

"Look, I'm sorry about yelling at you, but I can't believe you would just let that little boy die because you don't want anyone to figure out about your gift." I said sharply, because I was pretty damn sure this wasn't the first time this had happened.

"I know its selfish, and trust me Bella, you have no idea of how many times I've wanted to pick up the phone and help, you have to believe me, I've wanted to help _so _bad. Sometimes, the cases solve themselves, but other times…they don't." She said, and I was starting to wonder just how much Alice really saw in her visions.

"That's why they gave me away, you know, my biological parents." She was looking anywhere but at me as I stared at her, wanting an explanation.

"I was eight when they put me up for adoption. Both of them thought I was possessed by Satan, just like the last people I were with believed. And all because I tried to help kids like him.

"I told my parents about abducted children, because I would sometimes get visions about kids my age once I saw their missing pictures on the milk or in the supermarket. And when I told them that the kids were dead before the police knew about it, it scared them, Bella. But I knew that I still had to help those kids, so I didn't stop telling my parents, even though they told me to stop, because I was hoping that they would call the police and that maybe some of those kids might survive, you know?" She was crying now, but I still couldn't understand her.

"That doesn't justify the fact that you were willing to let Ronald die right now Alice. You know that I wouldn't ditch you, I've told you that over and over again. I'm not like your parents." I said, staring at her with hard eyes.

"I know you wont Bella. But…Ronald is gone. There is nothing the police can do, and there is nothing we can do. I didn't want to call now and tell them that he was still alive, because it was too late anyway. And the last thing I need right now is attention from the cops. They would just put me back into the system, and ship me off to another horrible foster home. I know that's cold, and heartless, but it's the truth.

"If I could tell the police that I knew where all those kids where when they were still alive, I wouldn't have minded at all helping. But I'm always too late Bella, sometimes a few hours, sometimes minutes. Once it was seconds… but still too late. I can _never _save them, but I always have to witness their last minutes on earth, no matter how horrible they are." She said, wiping the tears off her face. I didn't really know what to say, because I'd never been faced with the problem of having to watch children being killed every time I closed my eyes.

"How can you sleep, if seeing kids being killed or raped is all you can see?" I asked her in a whisper. She smiled a sad smile and stared up at me with red rimmed eyes.

"I don't always see children, sometimes I see grownups too. Not that I'm any help to them. But I don't always just see horrible things Bella, but it's the pictures. They help me see other people, their last minutes on earth… Its not pleasant, and I don't think I'll ever get used to it, but I manage. My visions can also be helpful, like I can see what will happen the next day, what kind of decisions I should take. Their not all bad. But I don't want you to think that I'd just let some poor little boy die without even trying to stop it. It's just…he's dying right now, so their really isn't anything we can do about it, so I'd rather not think about it." She told me, standing up and walking over to her latter where she climbed up and pulled the sheets over herself.

"I guess I can understand that…" I said slowly, trying to see things from her point of view. I suppose I did understand what she was talking about, and to be fair, I'd probably be doing the same thing if I were in her shoes. She was right too though, the last thing she needed was the police's attention.

I picked Roxanne up and snuggled her close to my chest, using my other hand to clutch Edward's ring, trying not to think about Little Ronald that was dying this very minute.

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**AN: So now you know a little bit more about Alice's past, and I know, sad chapter, although you did get to meet Jacob and Nessie. And Team Jacob, don't worry, this isn't a story where he is an asshole. He actually won't be in the story all that much...**

**Anyway, I hope you liked it! Unfortunetly, this was the last chapter that I'd already written, so now it's back to writing for me. (Not that I'm complaining ;D)**

**Review = Faster updates ;)**


	9. NINE

**AN: STILL NOT MINE PEOPLE. All SM!**

**Okay, some of you smart cookies have proabably noticed that I've changed the summary, and that's because this story wasn't getting enough hits, when some of my bad stories have gotten more in one hour, so I've changed it because I love this story and want to share it with more people :)**

**Another long chapter, and one step closer to Edward! **

**Enjoy! ;)**

* * *

Age - 18 - Bella POV

"_Bella?" Renee called, an angry tone in her whisky voice. I turned, finding myself in my old bedroom. My white, boring walls filled with my own drawings and other crap that I'd collected over the years. _

_I looked down at myself, surprised to see that I was wearing a white dress with a red sash right beneath my breasts. I wasn't wearing any shoes, and yet I couldn't feel the cold wooden floor beneath my bare feet. _

"_What?" I called back in a harsh voice, sitting down on my small bed, the one that I'd had since I was three years old. The mattress felt hard and lumpy as always, which in a strange way was rather comforting. _

"_There is someone at the door for you!" I furrowed my brows and stood up, suddenly feeling very annoyed. The only people that ever came to my house were James and Tyler, and they knew from experience never to knock on the door, but to climb up the tree in the back yard and jump in my window. Whoever was at the door couldn't be very close to me. Because if they were, they'd know the no-knocking-on-the-door-and-waking-Charlie-rule. He was much more pleasant when he was sleeping. _

_I ran towards the steers, which I'd normally run down, seeing as my bedroom was at the second floor, but now all of the sudden, they led up. I shrugged it of and walked up them anyway. _

"_Who is it?" I asked in a bored voice. It was probably the Police. _

"_That damn kid you always beat up, he's got something to say to you." Renee muttered, glaring at me as if willing me to just disappear. I motioned for her to go away and she did with a huff, mumbling about her regrets for not having an abortion while she had the chance. _

_I was surprised when I turned towards the door to find Edward standing there, wearing… a cooks outfit? Why the hell was he dressed up like a chef?_

_He was staring at me with a small smile on his face, cocking his head to he side and just…staring at me. _

"_Edward…what the hell are you doing here? How do you know where I live?" My house was on the outside of Forks, where all the poor people of the little town lived. I didn't want people in school to know where I lived, so I had both Tyler and James sworn to secrecy. Maybe Mike babbled… _

_He didn't answer me, however, he just leaned over and touched my shoulder, which stung like a bitch. _

"_Ow!" I yelled out, clutching my shoulder. I looked down at my hands and saw a small trace of blood. I glancing back up at him in shock._

"_What he hell was that for?!" I yelled, appalled._

"_You left me." He said simply, that damn smile still on his face. It was a nice smile that made his face look even better then it usually did, but damn, that hurt!_

"_What?" I asked him, dragging my palm across my white dress, leaving a handprint of blood in its wake. _

_Instead of answering me, he threw his head back and moaned. And I mean really moaned. It came from deep within his stomach. _

_He clutched our old rickety door, peeling off even more of the chipped of pain, and let out another deep, throaty moan. _

"_Edward what the hell?!" I asked, more confused then ever. I mean, who the hell does that? Go to someone's house to stand there and moan at their doorstep? It just didn't happen every day._

_He let out another one, only this time, it wasn't his voice. It was light, musical and high pitched. If it wasn't for the fact that I was more then a little disturbed at the moment I would probably be laughing my ass of._

"_Emmett!" He yelled, his voice still high pitched. You'd think someone had kicked him in his nut sack._

"_What?!" I yelled, shocked. _

"Emmett!" I shot up, confused as hell, clutching Roxanne to my chest before she was catapulted across the room. I touched my shoulder and flinched, pulling it back only to see a few drops of blood. Glancing down, I saw the cause of it. Roxanne had scratched me in my sleep. _That explains it_.

I was just glad that it wasn't Edward.

"Emmett, no!" My head snapped up, and I looked at Alice's sleeping form in confusion. Was she having a vision about him?

I put Roxanne down on the bed, realizing that she would probably want to sleep, still. I'd woken her up rather harshly, but then again she _had _scratched me. Like I said, she could be a mean little fucker.

"Alice?" I asked as she moaned, much the same way Edward had just moaned in my dream.

_Is she having a sex dream about my cousin?_

_No you dumbass! Would she be yelling no if it was a sex dream?! Get your mind out of the gutter!_

_Fine, alright, don't have a cow, jeez. _I argued with myself, shaking my head as I walked towards the latter. Besides, it wouldn't make any sense for her to have a sex dream about a person who'd shed never met before. For all she knew, he could be morbidly obese and only play videogames all day.

"Alice?" I asked again, shaking her shoulder lightly and trying to ignore her moaning. She was burning up, and the sheets were twisted around her withering form. It was ether one hell of a nightmare, or one fucked up sex dream.

"_Jellyfish_…" She muttered, squeezing her eyes together tightly. My eyebrows shot up in surprise, and I pushed some of my hair away from the little scratch mark on my shoulder. It might not be big, but damn it that shit stung.

"Alice come on, wake up. You're just having a bad dream… If you _can _dream that is." I muttered, shaking her shoulder again. All I got was another moan.

"Oh for fuck sake, get _up_!" I snapped, fed up. Patience wasn't one of my strong points. Unless it was tattooing where patience was essential.

Her eyes snapped open wide, and her head whipped in my direction, her big, blue orbs staring at me unblinkingly through the dark. It was still night out.

"Emmett is in trouble." She whispered, pushing herself up on her elbows and rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. Both of my eyes widened, and I grabbed her arm.

"What do you mean Emmett is in trouble? With the Police? Cause that's not unusual. Is he okay?" I asked quickly, and felt both panic and relief when she shook her head.

"I, he- You remember when you were on the phone with him earlier today and he had this girl over?" She asked me, flinging the covers off her body and making me back down from the latter so she could climb down herself.

"Yeah, so? He's always got some girl over." I said, confused.

"Yeah, well, this one is insane, and he's breaking up with her, or dumping her, I guess, and that's not going to end well." She said, sitting down on the passenger seat. I sat down too, in the drivers seat, pulling both my legs up to my chest.

"Could you please explain the whole thing? Is he going to be okay?" I asked anxiously. I couldn't loose Emmett.

"Well, he's going to say that the past few weeks have been great but he's done with the relationship, she's going to ask him why, he's going to say that he needs his space and that she's suffocating him. She's going to say, and I quote; "But we had such great sex!" And then he's going to be all, "Yeah I know, I'm going to miss that." And then she-" Alice took a deep breath from her ranting, trying to get everything out there as quickly as possible.

"Is going to suggest that they have sex one last time, you know, for old times sakes, just to have something to remember each other by. Emmett agrees, and they have sex for like two hours or something. Trust me, not something I wanted to watch, but I have and…ugh, I need to watch some Cartoons or something to clean my head and get my innocent mind back." She said with a shudder, not meeting my eyes. I shuddered too, feeling sorry for her. She had to watch my cousin having sex for two hours straight with no way of stopping it? Poor girl.

"I'll fix up the TV later, no tell me what's wrong, your scaring me." I demanded. She nodded her head and sat up a little straighter.

"Okay, so she gets out these handcuffs and asks if he remembers their night in Little Havana, and he does, so she cuffs him to the bed, both arms and legs, and props this pillow up underneath his head. And then she gets up and says that she has to get something, but will be right back, leaving him on his bed naked as the day he was born." She says, scratching her neck and looking like the picture of uncomfortable.

"He's got a nice body by the way…" She mutters quietly, both her pale cheeks reddening. My mouth dropped open in shock. _WHAT_?!

"Did that just come out of _your _mouth?! Oh my candy, Alice, you minx!" I said with a laugh, forgetting about the problem for a moment and pushing her shoulder playfully and making her blush even more.

I might be his cousin, but that didn't make me blind ether. Emmett was blessed with good looks and he knew it. He was a lady's man from the bottom of his heart, and he worked hard for his body to be every woman's fantasy.

"Anyway!" Alice said, moving on, getting her serious face on.

"This woman comes back with this bucket, she's been gone for like thirty minutes or something, and for some reason I couldn't see where she went, only what Emmett was doing, which was pretty damn annoying because he was singing the Spongebob square pants song, over and over and over again and it was just so- "

"Alice, get to the point, if he is in trouble I want to help him!" I insisted.

"The bucket was full of Jellyfishes, and I mean _full _of them. Different species of them too, some more poisonous then others. And then she takes out one after the other and drags them across his body, slowly…" That explains the Jellyfish she was talking about.

"What?! Oh shit! I need to call him now!" I yelled, running back to my bed and fishing out my cell phone from underneath my pillow.

I found Emmett's number and called him, walking over to Alice again and sitting down in my seat.

"He's not picking up…Why the hell isn't he picking up?! What kind of fucked up, sick twisted bitch is this?!" I asked angrily, more to myself then anybody else.

"I'm getting a picture of a Daisy in my head… I don't know why, but it keeps popping up all the time." Alice muttered, her eyes closed.

_"Hi! This is Emmett McCarthy's phone your calling. If you hear this, you've been trying to reach me for quite some time. Take a hint, I don't want to talk to you! Go bother someone else you freaky stalker! But if you're not a stalker but rather a close friend or my boss, Hi Esme! Then please leave a message after the beep. **BEEP**!"_

"Hi Emmett, it's me, Bella. Look, whatever you do, stay away from… Some girl who's crazy and loves jellyfishes… fuck… Just, don't dump whoever you're screwing at the moment. You've been with her to Little Havana and she cuffed you to a bed there. Stay away from her! She's dangerous! Call me as soon as you get this, please!" I said urgently, closing my phone and getting up to go find the car keys.

"Where are you going?" Alice asked, glancing up at me from her seat. I grabbed the keys and walked back over to the driver side, sitting down and starting up the RV.

"He's not answering his phone. Emmett _always _answers his phone, no matter what. This only means that he's already tied to the bed and that crazy bitch is probably torturing him right now as we speak. I have to go and save him." I said, driving towards the gate. Toby was still standing there, and he gave me a confused look. I rolled down my window hurriedly when he refused to open the gate.

"Dude, I really need to be somewhere, right now. So please open this gate." Thank Candy that Vegas never sleeps. Much like New York…

"You're leaving at this time of night? Is something wrong?" He pried.

"That's none of your god damn business, now open this gate!" I yelled, honking my horn. He jumped to it and pushed the button, making the gate open up slowly.

"What about Nessie, and Jake. You promised the both of them that we'd be there tomorrow morning to go shower at their place." Alice asked, pulling on a pair of sweatpants before strapping herself in.

"Put on your seatbelt." She muttered, and I did as she said absently, my thoughts running wild, trying to remember the fastest route to Florida. I'd been driving down there with Renee once a year, sometimes Uncle Frank, Emmett's dad, had driven us down there, but the rout was always the same. Unfortunately, that route did not include Las Vegas.

"We'll call her in the morning and tell her that something happened down south, and that we're needed there as soon as possible. We'll come back to Vegas some other time and visit them then. Right now I couldn't care less." I answered her, taking a sharp turn and speeding out of the city as quickly as I could.

"Is he going to make it, Alice? He's allergic to bees, maybe he'll get some kind of allergic reaction to the jellyfish venom too? He can't breath then!" I said, my voice getting higher and higher. I took a deep breath. No reason to panic. _Emmett will be fine. Everything will be just fine._

"I think he's going to be fine…just in a lot of pain. I can't really tell Bella, I woke up before I could see what happened." She answered quietly, staring at the dashboard.

"But if you don't slow down I don't know how fine we will be-"

"I have to get to Florida as soon as possible. I don't care if I break a few rules along the way." I answered her before she could finish.

"That Daisy keeps popping up in my head all the time. I don't understand it. Does it make any sense to you?" She asked, changing the subject quickly.

"No, not really." I shrugged, trying to think of anything. Emmett didn't have any kind of fascination with flowers, as far as I knew. And he'd certainly never mentioned any flowers before. Not to me anyway.

"Hey, maybe we should call the police down there, get them to come over and stop the whole thing? That we don't have to speed so much…" Alice suggested lightly, a little fright seeping into her voice. I hadn't noticed before how she was clutching the seat she was sitting on.

"Relax Alice, I've never been in an accident before. Ever. And I've been driving since I was nine."

"How is that possible? No nine year old can drive a car!" She sputtered, staring at me with wide eyes. She was still clutching the seat though.

"Emmett taught me how to drive, and how to hotwire a car, and badda bing, badda boom, I was out stealing cars like a pro. Okay I've been in one accident, to be fair, but that wasn't unintentional. I crashed the teachers car into the gym once when I was drunk." I said with a shrug, letting a small smile ghost over my lips.

"Why would you do that?!" She asked, horrified.

"He gave me a C + when it clearly was B + material. I mean, I know it wasn't perfect, but it was pretty damn good. The douchbag just didn't like me." I muttered, taking another sharp turn.

Alice shook her head quickly, as if trying to rid her mind of something. Probably that stupid Daisy.

"Okay, I have to ask more about that later, but we need to call the police, and get there to go over there and stop all this from happening, because this is going on right now." She said seriously, holding up the phone.

"We can't call the police." I said quickly, snatching the phone away from her hand and putting it in the glove compartment.

"Why not?" She asked, confused. I let out a deep sigh, before opening and closing my mouth a few times.

"Um, well… You see, Emmett works at the zoo right? And he loves his job, but he doesn't really earn a lot. Most of the people who work there have been around the world and studied the animals that they work with. Most of them are biologists and a few of them are vets. And they've all gone to College.

"Emmett, on the other hand, didn't go… Long story short, he met a guy who knew someone who got him a job at the zoo. He loves it there, and he's just as good as the rest of them, but he still only earns like six bucks an hour. So… he started this little, um, plantation in one of the bedrooms in his house." I said, trying to sugar coat it the best I could. If it was one thing I'd learned about Alice, it was that she didn't like surprises, and it was better to ease her into things.

"What kind of plantation? Like, growing vegetables and stuff?" She asked innocently. I was stunned by how naïve she really was.

"Yes Alice. We can't call the police because Emmett is growing _vegetables _in a room." I said dryly. Her eyes widened and she stared at me, shocked.

"You mean he's growing, _Marijuana_?" She whispered, horrified. I nodded my head slowly, driving past this old man who was going way too slow for my liking.

"But, but that's illegal! Why would he do such a thing? Does he smoke it?" She fired off, turning her whole chair towards me.

"I know it's illegal, that's why we can't call the cops. And I don't know any of his friends, so we can't call any of them ether. And I told you, he doesn't have much money. He's just growing a few plants, which he sells to some guy who does the rest of the dirty work. Look, you've probably seen a lot of movies with drug dealers in them, and they've all probably looked like mean assholes, right?" I asked, glancing over at her quickly. She nodded and motioned for me to continue.

"Well Emmett is nothing like them. He is a good guy, who's had a lot of bad experiences in his life, and this is just something that helps him get by, okay? He is one of the sweetest people I know. He might be a trouble maker, and yes, I know that he smokes a few every now and then, but he is still an awesome guy." I told her, making sure she knew just how amazing my cousin really was. She didn't know him like I did, and she didn't know half of the things he'd gone through in his life. She had no right to look down on him, or judge him, and I would make sure that she saw him like I did.

"What he is going through right now is a piece of cake, compared to some of the things that's happened to him before. He will get past this. I _know _he will." I said fiercely. He had to, because where would I be without my best friend?

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean for it to sound like I was judging him… This is all just so new and unusual for me. I'm sure he is a nice guy, in fact I know he is for letting a complete stranger come and live with him." She said quietly, and I nodded my head, not really knowing what to say.

There wasn't much in life that I cared about. I had Roxanne, of course, and Edward, who I would always have close to my heart, and Alice that was becoming a bigger part of my life every day, my Stud Muffin, the RV that I'd spent years to earn enough money to get, and then at the top of the list, there was Emmett. We had experienced a lot of bad things together, some good things and we knew all each others secrets.

I'd been there when Emmett's dad beat him up to a bloody pulp when I was visiting them one summer. I'd been there to clean up all his cuts and trying to get him to laugh again. I'd been there after his dad shot his mom, my aunt Cassie and Renee's only sister.

I'd been there for him just as he'd been there for me. He even knew about Edward. He'd sworn to take it to his grave, of course, just as I'd sworn to take all his secrets to mine.

The point is, those are the few things, and people I cared if anything happened to. And knowing that Emmett might die from some freaky, allergic reaction, made me want to cry.

I never cried.

The last time I did, I was twelve and I'd just gotten my first beating from Charlie. Renee usually slapped me around every now and then, nothing more than that, but Charlie actually beat me up, something he'd _never _done before.

But, like the trouper that I am, I held the tears at bay. No reason to cry like a weak, pathetic little girl if nothing truly bad was going to happen to him. _He is going to be fine_.

"Bella please focus on the road!" Alice said loudly, and I snapped out of my thoughts only to realize that I was almost driving on top of tiny car with a man sitting up front, yelling and screaming with his head and hand out the window, giving me the middle finger.

"Shit," I muttered, slowing down and giving him a small wave.

"Thinking about Emmett?" She asked quietly, staring at me through her lashes.

"Something like that." I muttered in a tight voice. It was one thing fighting the tears when I wasn't talking. It was another thing entirely to do it when you were talking. It was nearly impossible. I swallowed hard, trying to get the lump to go away.

"I'll make us some hot chocolate and cut up some strawberry's. That usually makes me feel better and think about something else. Why don't you tell me about some of the other crazy things you did growing up? I'm sure your life has been pretty interesting. Or, why don't you tell me about all your boyfriends? Or the once you've had?" Alice asked in a light voice, standing up and walking carefully over to the kitchen aria. I nodded and swallowed one more time, feeling like I could control my voice better now.

"How about you tell me about your boyfriends?" I asked quietly. I didn't really feel up for the whole talking bit.

"Um, I've never really had a real boyfriend. There was this one boy though, at the first orphanage that I stayed at. He gave me my first kiss. His name was Bobby. It was just a quick, innocent peck though, nothing major. I'm sure your love life is much more interesting then that. In fact I know it's more interesting then mine." She muttered the last part, and I had to smile a little. _That's for damn sure_.

"First boy I ever kissed was in kindergarten. I was four and he was five, and his name was Ian." I said, letting out a small laugh. I'd dared him to kiss me, and when it was over I'd told him that he would die of cooties if he didn't get his cootie shot taken within the next ten seconds.

"But you've had boyfriends though, haven't you?" She asked me, boiling some water while finding the rest of the ingredients she would need. She was already done cutting up the strawberry's.

"Sure… None of them have ever lasted for very long though. The longest being three months. The first guy I ever dated was twenty years old, and I was fourteen." I said, thinking back to when James, Tyler and I'd started to hang out in Port Angels and Seattle on the weekends.

"That seems kinda…sick." Alice said with a frown, making me laugh again.

"Yeah, I guess it's not really all that romantic. To be fair on the guy, he thought I was sixteen." I said, thinking back to when I'd first met Ryan at some College party in Seattle. James knew one of them and had gotten us in there. We dated for about a month and when he found out how old I really was he freaked out and told me to call him when I got older. I, of course, see now that he was a total loser, but he was still the first guy that I ever really dated.

"Still, it's kind of disgusting. Did you have your first time with him?" She asked hesitantly, making me laugh even more. It was just funny to see how she was so shy. It was so different from the people I was used to hanging out with.

"You know, my mom met Ryan once, she's actually the one who told him that I was fourteen, and she asked me straight out, in front of Ryan mind you; "_Bella, did this poor looser pop your cherry?_" I thought I'd punch her in the face. That's one of the few times I think I've ever blushed." I told Alice with a giggle. That was one of the most embarrassing moments in my life.

"Your mom doesn't sound like a very nice person." Alice observed, handing me a cup of hot chocolate with a cap on it so I wouldn't spill anything. I sat it down in the cup holder and let it cool down some. All of this was actually helping me think about something other then Emmett.

"But did he though?" She asked shyly.

"Why are you so interested?" I asked her, glancing over at her blushing face quickly.

"Well, I've never experienced half of the things you have. Not with boys or anything, so I just want to live a little through you… is that bad? You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to…" She said quietly.

"I don't care if you know about it or not. It's not a secret. But when we get to Florida, you seriously need to get a date." I said, and she nodded her head hesitantly.

"I actually don't know the guy who, you know, took my lolly pop, deflowered me, popped my cherry, stole my innocence, tapped my-"

"I get it, I get it." She said, giving me a strange look.

"How can you not know? Isn't your first time suppose to be really special and memorable?" She asked, and I rolled my eyes.

"Well mine isn't very memorable at all, cause I don't remember a thing. I went to a party in Seattle, had one too many drinks and woke up naked beside some guy I've never seen before." I said with a shrug, keeping my eyes on the road and ignoring her gasp.

"That's horrible!"

"Not really. At least it wasn't painful, and the guy was pretty hot. It was a few weeks after I broke things off with Ryan. And he was still in High School, I think. He looked it anyway."

"My first time will be when I'm sober and it'll be romantic." She said with determination, nodding to herself. She popped a Strawberry into her mouth, chewing at it thoughtfully.

"How many guys have you dated though?" She asked, taking a sip of her hot chocolate. She stood up again and went back to the kitchen part, doing candy knows what.

"Lets see…Well, theirs Ryan, and David, and then their's Nathaniel, Felix, Marcus and Luke. That's the guys I've dated, but I've fooled around with a few more… Dude, I sound like a total slut!" I said, laughing again. It really wasn't that bad though. It was nothing compared to some of the girls in Forks high.

Like I knew Rosalie Whitlock had pretty much dated most of the Football and Basketball team, including some College guys. Now she's really been around the block. She wasn't cheap, like Jessica and Lauren, by any means. Just busy.

"I don't think so, just, experienced. And that's what people grow from, experience." She said, nodding to herself again as she sat down with a plate of cold pancakes with syrup all over them.

She handed me my own plate with pancakes and syrup on the side.

"Oh, thank you! You're an angel." I muttered, not realizing until now just how hungry I was. If I was going to drive without stopping all the way to Florida, I'd need all the strength I could get.

"You're welcome," She said with a small smile, eating her own food slowly.

"So, who was the best kisser, out of all of them?" She asked, looking at me and then at the road.

"Edward." I answered immediately, biting my lip ring. There was no question in my mind about that.

With all the guys I'd ever kissed, or slept with, it had felt good, obviously, but there hadn't been anything more then that. It was… different, whit him. It was as if he was the only thing I could see, consuming all my thoughts, and making everything else into this big blur. Nothing else in the entire world mattered when he kissed me.

All the tension, anger, and worries just fell right off my shoulders as soon as his lips had touched mine.

I touched my lips absently, regretful that I would never taste something as sweet as him ever again. I only had my memories and drawings, and neither did him any justice.

"Bella, are you alright?" Alice asked me quietly, nibbling at her pancake. I nodded and let out a tired sigh.

"I just, I just miss him. So much." I said, just as quietly. I was a little surprised that I was opening up like this and talking about, well, _feelings_. It just wasn't like me.

"Maybe you can call him?" She suggested lightly, but I shook my head.

"I don't have his number, and even if I did I still wouldn't. I'll never see him again. Ever. So there is no point in dwelling. I just have to grow a pair and deal with it." I said, straightening up some more in my seat and grabbing another pancake, taking a huge bite off of it.

"That doesn't seem fair to ether of you. By the way you described him, I'd think he would be missing you too. He's probably worried about you right now, wondering if you're okay, if you're thinking about him. That's what it's like when you're in love." Alice told me wisely, as if she knew what she was talking about it.

"Well I'm not in love with him. It's just a school girl crush." I said, more to myself rather then her. She sighed and shook her head at me, but didn't say anything more about it.

"Maybe I should try and sleep, see if I could get any more information?" She suggested, stretching her hands above her head and showing off her thin, bruised stomach.

"Yeah, that might be a good idea." I said, concentrating on the road and looking out for the police. The last thing I needed right now was to be pulled over for speeding.

"Are you sure you don't want to call the police?" Alice asked me again, halfway up the latter that was right behind my back.

"Trust me, I'm sure." I said with a light chuckle.

"You know, he might be grateful for it, in the long run." She said, trying to win me over.

"No, he wouldn't. The Police would be on his ass forever, and he'd go to jail and probably get stuck in there for a few years. And as he would say, he's too pretty to go to jail."

"Aha… Well, you know I won't push you to call them. I don't want to talk to them ether. Promise me one thing though?"

"What's that?" I didn't want to promise anything before I was absolutely sure.

"If you start to feel tired, pull off the road and sleep for a few hours. And I'll know if your lying because I'll see it in a vision if we're going to crash." She threatened.

"Fine, I'll stop and take a nap. A short one." I promised, taking a sip of my hot chocolate. Alice should consider becoming a chef or something, because everything she made tasted like a peace of heaven.

"That's all I ask. Good night Bella." She said, giving a yawn before climbing up the rest of the latter.

"Good night Alice."

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**AN: I, personally, love this chapter. It's kinda funny, a little sad and has some exitment going on there too. You also got to see a bit of Bella's dating past. Hope you guys arn't too pissed off. I know a lot of you like to read storys where Bella is this innocent little Virgin... But, she's not in this one so that's that :P **

**Also BIG Q coming up! Do you like the New Summary better, or the old one? (Hope you like this one because I forgot to save the old one )**

**Please let me know in a Review! Thanks for reading and hope all of you liked it!**

_-- Says The Schizophrenic --_


	10. TEN

***Read the AN at the bottom when ur done!!!!***

* * *

Age - 18 - Bella POV

I'd been driving for almost two and a half day straight now, only stopping for gas, bathroom breaks, and a few short naptime breaks. I'd tried to convince Alice to drive, but she wouldn't budge, claming she'd ether get caught by the cops or crash into a ditch.

Emmett was still not picking up his phone, but that was to be expected. Alice had seen him getting sick, but at least he would survive everything. But that was only if we got him to a hospital soon.

"Come on, come on…" I muttered, honking the horn angrily, making Roxanne squeak loudly from my lap. It was as if she sensed something was wrong, and she was trying to comfort me.

"Relax Bella, we're almost there. We're even in Orlando, see?" Alice said, pointing at a sign enthusiastically, looking awake and alert. And clean.

I on the other hand, could practically feel the germs crawling over my skin, and feel the sweat sticking to my clothes, the same clothes I'd been wearing all along. There was no way in hell I was stopping to take a bath or a shower when Emmett needed me.

We'd called the zoo, asking if Emmett was there, but as soon as his name was mentioned, the person on the other side would just hang up on us. It did not help my frustration one bit.

The only comfort I got out of all of this was the fact that Alice kept telling me that he'd be fine, in the end. Whatever that meant. Even Alice didn't know that. She just knew that he'd be fine.

I pushed some of my greasy hair out of my eyes, disgusted with myself.

"Alice, I need you to put Roxanne in a cage and put her on the floor or something, just, make sure she's not in the way or running around our feet." I said urgently, handing her Roxanne with one hand and pressing on the gas with the other.

Emmett's house was right around the next corner. _Finally_.

Alice took Roxanne from my hand quickly, stuffing her into her cage and climbing up to put her on her bed, before climbing back down again. She didn't have time to sit down, however.

I slammed on the breaks as soon as we stopped outside his house, throwing the seatbelt Alice had made me wear of off me and lunging for the door. All my limbs felt weak, and stiff from sitting still for such a long time, but I ignored it, pushing my long legs faster as they ran up his driveway.

Loud music was coming from inside, and I was shocked when I found the door to be open. I ran through it, figuring that the crazy bitch probably forgot to lock it after herself.

His house was a mess, and I don't mean the normal mess a single guy of 22 would have laying around. All the posters, and pictures on his walls were ether ripped to pieces, or smashed, laying broken in a heap of glass on the floor.

His couch was turned over, and the TV was broken beyond repair. And she'd left the water in the kitchen sink on, so the whole first floor was covered in one inch of water.

I ignored all this and ran straight for his bedroom, slamming the door open loudly, making both his eyes snap open in surprise.

"Emmett!"

"Bella! Oh, you have no idea how glad I am to see you!" He mumbled out, letting his head fall back on the pillow in relief as I tried to open one of the cuffs that was holding one of his thick wrists.

"She took the key with her," He said, flinching slightly. Both of his wrists were sore and bloody, as were his ankles. I tried not to stare at his naked body too much. It wasn't anything I wanted to see anyway.

"Bella, I thought you might need this." Alice said quietly, holding out a bob pin, her pale cheeks stained red as she tried to look at everything else besides my naked cousin. She'd turned off the loud music, and I couldn't hear the water running so I'm assuming she'd turned that off too.

"Thanks." I said quietly, finally being able to calm down now that I could see with my own eyes that he was okay. His whole body was red though, and swelling, and he looked kind of sick.

The jellyfishes were still laying on his broad chest, dead and dried out, mixing with the sent of Emmett's own piss. It was understandable, he had been laying here for almost three days. I knew I wouldn't have been able to hold myself that long.

But at least now I knew he was going to be okay. He might smell like piss and rotten seafood, but at least he was alright, and that was really all that mattered.

I started working on one of his wrists, concentrating on getting the lock up.

"Maybe one of you could find something to cover me up with?" Emmett asked in a small voice, his eyes heavy and hooded.

"It's not something we haven't seen before. Definitely something Alice hasn't seen before." I said, snickering to myself and earning a mean glare from Alice.

"There's nothing to cover you up with. The girl you were with took all your clothes, your blankets and towels with her. She lit it on fire last night in her backyard." Alice said quietly, still standing by the doorway, shifting her weight from foot to foot uncertain.

"There." I said, triumphed, finally getting the stupid thing off his wrist.

"Thank you!" He said gratefully, using his now free hand to throw jellyfishes off his stomach and…privet parts, before using the same hand to try and cover up some.

"Damn that stupid woman was crazy, if I had known- wait a minute, how do _you_ guys know about her? And you weren't suppose to be here for another week, and how could you -" He rambled in a weak voice, one that did not fit him at all. Emmett was suppose to be loud and obnoxious, not quiet and timid.

I reached a hand over and felt his forehead. He was burning up.

"You have a fever Em, we need to get you to the hospital. We'll answer all of your questions later." I said, getting his other wrist loose too. He tried to sit up but I pushed him back down gently.

"Just lay there for now, okay? You need to rest." I said seriously. He was too tired to argue with me, and laid back on his own without any fuss at all. That was not good. Emmett was just as stubborn as I am, if not more sometimes. And he was definitely a fusser.

"Call Carlisle, he's a doctor. I have his number on my phone." He mumbled, using both of his hands to cover himself up, the muscles in his arms and stomach flexing with his movements.

"Um, I'll go get your phone." Alice said quietly, dashing out of the room as quickly as possible. I could tell that she was embarrassed about the whole situation.

"I should meet all women this way, naked and proud." He mumbled weakly, trying to make a joke. I cracked a small smile at him, walking to the other side of the bed to release his other ankle.

"You're lucky we got here when we did Emmett. I've been worried sick about you. We've been driving for almost three days straight now, trying to get here as fast as we could." I told him quietly, getting the last pair of cuffs of off him.

I hurried over to his side and helped him sit up, using all my strength. Emmett was one big fellow, and heavy as a fucking building.

"Come on, let's get you out of here." I said, helping him stand up. He stumbled a little, catching himself on the wall, and trying to use me as little as possible for support. I tugged on his arm, trying to get him to move with me.

"Bella, I'm 6'5, if I lean on you, you'll get crushed. Just help me to the bathroom will you? And could you check on my plants?" He asked, closing his eyes and breathing hard through his nose. I sighed deeply but complied, a small part of me happy that he was at least walking.

It took us nearly five minutes to get to the bathroom, which was two meters away. Luckily, nothing was ruined in there.

"Are you going to be fine on your own?" I asked worriedly, standing in the doorway. He nodded, shooing me out with his hand.

I walked out of his room and closed the door after me to try and keep most of the reeking stink to stay in his room and not seep into the rest of his house.

Alice was cleaning up in the kitchen, picking things up and throwing things out in the garbage.

"Just leave it Alice, there's no point in doing that now." I told her as I walked past her into the kitchen and up the stairs. I walked into the second door on my right, flipping on the switch. There wasn't a plant in sight. Furrowing my brows, I walked further into the room, picking up a small, pink post it note from one of the tables.

_I took your plants._

_They are burning with your clothes._

_Manwhore. _

_I hate you!_

_Love, Daisy._

Daisy. Alice had been seeing daisy's for days now. So that's her name. Daisy. Such an innocent name for such a crazy person. But then again, Daisy does rime with crazy…

Shaking my head sadly, I crumbled the note and threw it at the floor, switching of the light before walking down stairs again.

"I brought Emmett a blanket from the RV, and here is his cell phone." Alice said holding the blanket under one arm and the cell phone in the other. I held my hand out, palm open, and she gave it to me before walking over to Emmett's bedroom door, standing quietly with one of my blankets in her arms, clutching it to her chest tightly while staring at all the damage with a frown on her face.

Emmett had a lot of text messages, voice mail and missed calls. Most of them were from my phone, but I didn't go through his list. I scrolled down his list until I found the dame Carlisle C.

I didn't have to wait long for anyone to pick up.

"Where have you been young man? Esme has tried calling you for days now!" A male voice said through the phone, a hint of annoyance lacing his tone.

"Um, yeah, someone tied Emmett to his bed covered in jellyfishes for the past three days, so you might want to excuse him for not picking up his phone." I muttered, looking over at Alice quickly. _Why is he taking so long…_

"What? Who is this?" He asked urgently, almost disbelieving.

"I'm Bella, his cousin. Look, he told me you were a doctor, are you at the hospital right now?" I asked him urgently.

"Yes, I'm at the hospital, what-"

"Okay, I'll bring him in as soon as possible. He's allergic to bees and it seems like he had some sort of allergic reaction towards some of the jellyfishes. He's really sick," I told him, fidgeting with the bottom of my t-shirt.

"Do you still have the jellyfishes? We'll be able to treat him a lot more quickly if we know what kind of venom we're dealing with here."

"I'll collect them. Just be ready or something, Emmett is still on the crapper but I'll bring him over there now." I said, hanging up before he could answer.

"We need to collect all the jellyfishes. Did she leave the bucket?" I asked, walking over to Emmett's door quickly and walking in. The door to the bathroom was closed now.

"Are you okay in there?" I asked him, walking over to one of the windows and opening it wide. Fresh air had never felt better before.

"I'm fine, just give me a minute." Came his reply a few moments later. I frowned, looking at all the jellyfishes laying on the floor.

"Here's the bucket, the very same one." Alice said, walking into the room and handing it over to me. I grabbed it from her hand and got down on my knees and started dumping the stinking, squishy creatures into the bucket.

"Doesn't that hurt?" Alice asked, pointing to my hands. I shook my head, picking up another one and dumping it in there with the others. They were all dried out, which, amazingly enough, made them even more disgusting.

"The skin in your palm is too thick. It's impossible to feel anything." I muttered, picking up the last one and handing the bucket to Alice.

"Could you put this in the RV? I have to help Emmett." I said, wiping my hands off on my pajama shorts.

"Sure." She said, walking out with the stinky bucket.

"Emmett, Alice brought you a blanket. We need to get to the hospital now." I said, pushing the bathroom door open quietly.

Emmett was hanging over the sink, both of his huge arms supporting him. He'd washed his face and his hands, and he was staring at his face in the mirror critically.

"I need a shave." He said, referring to his stubble filled face. I snorted and shook my head at him before walking over and slinging one of his arms over my shoulders. It was hard to keep him steady, seeing as I was only 5'4.

"Here, wrap this around your waist or something so you don't scare the living daylights out of some old woman." I said, helping him wrap it around his waist slowly. He hissed when it made contact with his skin.

"I wouldn't mind killing a few ladies if it meant that I could be naked." He muttered, trying to hold the fabric away from his sore skin to the best of his abilities.

"I bet you wouldn't." I muttered, grunting with the effort of keeping him on his legs.

"Can we please take a break?" He wheezed, clutching the doorframe tightly and squeezing his eyes shut against the bright sun.

"Come on Emmett, we're almost there and then you can rest all you want, I promise." I said, urging him forwards again. He breathed out hard through his nose and nodded once before he started walking again, a little quicker now down his driveway.

"Oh my, is he alright?" The sound of an elderly woman's voice asked, but I didn't bother turning around to see who she was. _Florida and their old people._

"He's fine!" I called, helping him into the RV. Alice was sitting in the passenger seat, a distant look on her face. After helping Emmett to lay down on my bed, I bolted to the drivers seat and started up the RV, spinning out of the neighborhood quickly.

"Take a left." Alice said, her eyes focusing on the road.

"But that's not the way to the hospital-"

"It's a short cut, trust me on this one. There's a traffic jam the other way." She answered, craning her neck around to look back at Emmett who was holding both of his hands over his face, not saying a word.

"Is he okay?" She whispered, her blue eyes staring at me with worry. I only nodded, pressing my lips tightly together. Whenever Emmett got a cold, he would complain loudly and act as if the world was coming to an end. He would basically turn into a little, whiny brat. This wasn't like him at all.

"Her name was Daisy, that's probably why you keep getting a picture of one in your head." I explained, trying to think of something else.

"Take a right turn. Really? I wouldn't have expected that." She said, surprised. I shrugged, and saw a sign for the Hospital and drove in there, hitting the breaks hard when we stopped outside the ER. The ride would probably take fifteen minutes normally, but we made it there in five.

"You grab the bucket and I'll grab Emmett." I said, parking so I wouldn't stand in the way of any of the ambulances. I jumped out of my seat and hurried over to my cousin, frowning at him.

"Dude, get up, we're at the hospital." I said, grabbing one of his forearms gently and helping him sit up.

"I just need to lay down for a bit." He mumbled, trying to lay back down.

"Oh no, come on now." I said, grabbing his forearm again and tugging a little harder. He complied reluctantly, getting up slowly and clutching his head with one of his hands.

"Are you Bella?" I heard someone ask outside of the RV. It sounded like Carlisle, but I'd only heard him over the phone so I couldn't be sure.

"No, she's in the RV with Emmett. I think she might need some help getting him out of there." Alice answered, their voices coming closer. I secured the blanked around his waist before helping him stand up on his wobbly feet. It was amazing that he was even able to stand up in here at all.

"Emmett! You look a lot worse than I expected," The man, Carlisle, said, sounding both shocked and appalled.

"Thanks, Carlisle." He muttered, flinching when his bare feet hit the hot pavement outside the hospital. Carlisle grabbed his other arm and we led him over to a wheelchair, where he sat down heavily, his head hanging low, and he was breathing hard.

"He's got a fever, he's dehydrated and he's dizzy. We've got all the jellyfishes right here and he's got medical insurance." I told the blond doctor/ hottest man I'd seen in a _long _time. He was in his early forties, but was still insanely handsome. It was almost ridicules. George Cloony could just go to bed, because he was no match for this guy.

He smiled at me briefly while we walked, maneuvering Emmett around a couple of nurses.

"Are you sure you got all of them?" He asked, and I could hear a hint of a British accent that I hadn't noticed over the phone. I nodded my head quickly, grabbing Emmett's hand and squeezing it in reassurance.

"Good. Now does any of you know what happened?" He asked, glancing over at Alice and I before helping Emmett up and into a bed. He pulled out a bunch of needles and started working while we were still there. One of the nurses drew a curtain up around the bed and came over to take a blood test. She was old, fat and had a sour look on her face, as if she'd much rather be doing everything else besides drawing blood from a half conscious kid.

"He was cuffed to his bed by a girl named Daisy-"

"Daisy Daniels? But she's such a sweet girl! Are you sure it was Daisy?" Carlisle asked, both of his eyes wide with shock and disbelief.

"It was her alright." Emmett muttered, shuddering slightly as Carlisle hooked him up to an IV.

"This really doesn't make any sense to me. She's so innocent." Carlisle muttered to himself, still completely shell shocked.

"A cute little puppy dog can also have rabies, Dr. Cullen. Don't look so surprised, that girl was _too_ innocent if you ask me. _MmmHmm_." The old nurse said, giving Emmett a shot before walking out of there with her head held high.

"I suppose she's right, but this really does come as a surprise. Why are you naked anyway?" He asked, flashing this light thing in both of Emmett's eyes quickly.

"They were having _sex_!" Alice blurted out loudly, making all of us stare at her blushing face. She slapped a hand over her mouth and stared at us with wide, blue eyes.

"Again, how do you guys know all these things?" Emmett asked, wincing when he got another shot from Carlisle.

Carlisle gave both Alice and I a long, searching look, but didn't say anything.

"I said we'd explain it later. Just be grateful that we knew what we did, or otherwise you'd still be laying there." I told him, trying to change the subject. I still wasn't sure if Alice wanted him to know, and I was pretty sure she didn't want Carlisle to know.

"Fine," He mumbled, laying his head back and squeezing his eyes shut when Carlisle started to poke at his wrist.

"You need stitches, son. Were you trying to break the cuffs or something? I can almost see your bone here." He said, poking Emmett's wrist again with his gloved hand.

"I tried to get loose, you know, flex and bust out of there. She trashed my house and took all my clothes." Emmett said, a tint of anger in his voice now. At least he was getting a little strength back. Probably from all the shots.

"What did you do to make her so bloody angry?" Carlisle asked him, his accent coming out more clearly, pulling the red string that would get one of the nurses to come.

"I broke up with her, she suggested a little… goodbye party, and I was stupid enough to agree." He muttered, closing his big brown eyes. People always commented on how we looked like brother and sister because of our similar brown hair and eyes. They were both the exact same shade.

"You girls should probably go back out to your RV again, and I'll come and get you when he's all stitched up. It shouldn't take more then an hour." Carlisle said, giving us a panty dropping smile. I smiled back at him and suddenly wished that I looked better at the moment. Not that it mattered. The man was in his forties and probably married, judging by the ring on his finger.

"So he'll be released today, then?" I asked hopefully. Alice was still standing at the bottom of the bed, her head down in embarrassment.

"I _think _so, yes. He needs lots of rest, food and water and he should be as good as new in a week or so. I'll talk to Esme and ask if she can find someone to cover for you at work. Do you want me to call the police?" He asked, signing something on Emmett's chart.

Emmett glanced over at me, and I nodded at him, mouthing _The plants are gone, _with a frown on my face. If the police didn't do anything about this woman then I would.

"Sure, call the cops. I'd like her to pay for all the damages on my house and my medical bills." He said, trying to sit up a little, only to be pushed down again by Carlisle.

"You might feel better now, but you're still weak. Ah, Ms Vern, would you mind running down and checking if room five is ready and stocked?" He asked a young blushing nurse with too big glasses on her small round face.

"Sure Dr. Cullen." She said in a high pitched voice before darting away quickly. She was probably hyperventilating by now.

"Okay then! We'll be out in the RV. See you soon Emmett." I said, walking over to kiss his forehead quickly.

"I'm expecting an explanation!" He called after us as we walked out from the curtains and into the busy ER. Young children were screaming, a woman was crying loudly, a man had lost his finger and was bleeding like crazy. A pregnant woman was breathing loudly while her husband signed a chart. We got out of there quickly.

"What should we tell him?" Alice asked as we walked towards the RV slowly, no longer in a rush. It felt nice to finally be able to just take a deep breath and calm down some.

"The truth?" I answered, climbing into the RV and stripping of my disgusting t-shirt. I was going to take a shower in the small showerhead thing that was in the 'bathroom' that I never used.

"But what if he doesn't believe us? What if he thinks I'm crazy and demands that I leave?" she asked worriedly, climbing up to get Roxanne out of the cage.

"He wont. Emmett's a nice guy, remember? And he'll probably notice you spacing out every now and then when you have visions. It's better that he knows from the beginning rather then finding out later down the road. But it's up to you, really. It's your gift an all." I said with a shrug, closing the door into the bathroom and taking off the rest of my clothes before I turned on the water. It was lukewarm, but it was nice against the sweltering heat that was outside. I'd forgotten how hot it could get in Florida.

"Could you hand me some new clothes?" I asked Alice, poking my head out.

"Sure," She said, and walked over to my closet. She handed me a t-shirt, a pair of shorts and underwear before walking back over to the kitchen aria.

"Do you want some eggs and bacon?" She called, and I tried to get my last sock on without tripping. Grabbing the towel, I started to dry my hair as I walked out and sat down by the table.

"Nah, I thought we'd go buy some food when Emmett's done in there. Maybe go to a diner or something if he's up for it. But then again he does need his rest…. Let's just buy a pizza or something." I suggested, stretching out my sore limbs. I hadn't realized just how stiff they were until all my adrenalin went away.

"Should we tell him right away? I think I'm okay with him knowing. I mean, he is nice and I do trust you when you say that he's not going to kick me out… I just don't want him to hate me or anything like that." She said, petting Roxanne absently while she chewed on an apple piece. She was getting fatter every day. _Hope I'm not over feeding her or something…_

"He wont Alice, I promise. Emmett is cool, okay? There's nothing to worry about. He's a very accepting person. Just chill." I said, rolling my eyes.

"What about the police? They'll want to talk to us, and when they do they'll figure out that I'm only sixteen and they'll put me back in the system! Why didn't I think if this before?!" She said loudly, putting Roxanne on the table as she started pacing. That was a good point.

They would want to hear what happened from us, and they would probably want to talk to our parents. It didn't matter with me because I'm eighteen, Alice on the other hand…

"Too many people have seen you for you to just hide out… Shit! What are we going to do?! Maybe we can say that Emmett is your legal guardian or something?" I suggested, biting my lip ring and clutching the one that was hanging between my breasts tightly.

"It would never work. Don't you see?! They dropped me off with that other family up in Nevada, they'll know for sure that I've run away. I can't go back there Bella, I just can't." She said frantically, gripping her short black hair, making it stand out even more.

"Can't you tell them that they abused you then? If it does go that far?"

"I've tried, it doesn't work. I'll just get sent to a new family, and their usually worse then the next." I tried to think of something I could say, or do to possibly make this better or just not get her back into the system.

"Wait! Maybe you can make me a fake ID or something?" Alice suggested hopefully, but I shook my head.

"Real ID cards have this stripe that I can't make with my ID kit, so the cops will know that it's not legit. But…hey, Emmett and Carlisle are friends, right? Maybe we can ask him if he can pretend that you're his daughter or something? Just for now." I asked, scratching my forehead to try and think of something.

"That won't work ether, they'll just check it up in the papers later. Bella, I'm going back in there, aren't I?" She asked, her eyes filling up with tears.

"Well, I'm not the psychic one of us here, but I'll do whatever I can to hide you away from the cops. Look, lets just talk to them first and tell them that we found Emmett laying tied to the bed. Who knows, maybe their not interested in us at all? Maybe they just want us to tell them what we know?" I said hopefully, although I didn't really believe it.

I'd testified to the police before for different reasons, or been questioned by them, and they'd always asked for my ID, phone number and the number to my parents or legal guardians.

Alice didn't even have a phone number.

"What does you're gut tell you?" I asked her, trying to think of another plan. Maybe a fake ID could work? I knew it wouldn't.

"It's… calm. That's actually strange… I'm usually never calm when something like this happens. I don't understand it." She said, her black eyebrows scrunched up in confusion.

"Maybe it's a good thing? That you're calm I mean." I said enthusiastically.

"Maybe… We'll have to see. Do you want to talk or should I?" She asked, picking Roxanne up and snuggling her up to her chest.

"I don't know how much you want to reveal, so I think you should do the talking." I said with a small, sad smile. I might lose Alice now, I knew that, but it didn't really register in my mind ether. She was the first girl I'd ever been close to. She knew a lot of my secrets and I knew many of hers. We hadn't known each other for that long, but I knew that I would still miss her and get pissed of if they took her away from me.

"Bella Swan?" Someone asked, knocking on the door to the camper. I opened the door to see a police officer standing with his hands behind his back, a small smile on his lips.

He was probably in his mid forties, short and balding. He seemed like a nice enough guy, maybe even understanding enough to let a sixteen year old girl live alone with an eighteen and twenty two year old? Probably not.

"Yes?" I asked, jumping out of the RV, Alice following hot on my heals. I locked the door behind me, and slipped the key into my pocket.

"I just need to ask you and your friend Alice here a few questions." He said, pulling out a pad and a pen.

"Um, I would feel more comfortable doing this with my cousin present, and his doctor." I said, thinking fast. I wouldn't, _couldn't_, let them take Alice. Not after everything she'd been through.

He raised both of his bushy eyebrows but didn't comment on it. He just turned around and started walking back towards the hospital.

The man missing a finger was still sitting there, looking a lot paler now then he did an hour ago, and I secretly wondered why nobody helped him. This was a hospital for crying out loud! What good is there to come here when you don't get any real help? The poor guy probably didn't have medical insurance.

We walked down a long hallway, away from the busy ER and was ushered into a room by the police officer. The room was pretty big, with lots of different machines and scary looking medical mambo jumbo. Why anyone would ever want to become a doctor was beyond me. Other then the healthy paycheck, it couldn't be much fun sticking you fingers up other peoples rectums everyday to see if they were healthy or not.

Emmett was still laying in a hospital bed, his eyes opening as we entered the room. He gave me a weak smile, blinking lazily. A short woman in her late thirties was standing beside him, holding his hand, that had a thick bandage around his wrist, which I also noticed that he had around his other writs too, with a soft smile on her kind face. She had long Caramel locks the fell down in gentle curls around her beautiful face.

"Hi there, Bella! Alice, officer man!" He said, slurring his words slightly.

"Is he okay?" I asked Carlisle, who was typing away at a computer, probably writing all of Emmett's information down or something like that. He turned around with an amused face, glancing from me to Emmett.

"Oh he's more then fine. High on pain killers, in fact. The lotion I had to put on his body can be quite painful, and it's better that he's out of it and not feeling anything. He'll fall asleep soon, so it looks like he might stay over night. I'm sorry about that." He said with an apologetic look on his handsome face, referring to the fact that he said we could take him home today.

"It's okay, as long as he's fine, in the end." I said with a shrug, walking over to Emmett's bed and taking his other hand. "Hi Emmett," I said quietly, giving his hand a small squeeze.

"Hi Bella! This is, Esme, my boss, and Carlisle's wife." He said, his head lolling from side to side slightly. I looked up at the woman and she gave me a kind smile, making me smile back. I think she could melt the heart of a savage if she wanted. And that's something, coming from me.

"Hi, Esme Cullen. It's nice to finally meet you, Emmett has been telling everyone at work about you." She said, her voice matching her appearance perfectly. No wonder she and Carlisle were married. They were perfect for each other. One caring about people, the other caring about animals.

"Probably all lies." I said with a chuckle. A throat cleared loudly from behind us, and the officer raised his eyebrows slightly.

"I think we should start with the questions now. We have the doctor and your cousin present, now may we start?" He said in a some what annoyed voice. I frowned slightly and glanced over at Alice. She'd been so quiet I'd almost forgotten that she was even in the room.

Her hands were trembling, and her eyes were wide as she looked anywhere else but the police officer.

"What's your name, detective?" I asked him, stalling for some more time. Whatever Alice had, it better be good.

"Officer Mike Hunt, and yes, I've heard all the jokes." He grumbled out, and I had to use all my inner willpower not to laugh out loud. I wanted to stay at on his good side. Carlisle's eyes widened and he turned around in his chair, his back to us with his shoulders shaking violently in silent laughter.

Emmett, however, being under the influence of drugs, was not so subtle.

"You're name is My cunt?!" He boomed out, and it was the first time since I'd last seen him that he acted the most like himself. He kept laughing, loudly I might ad, and Carlisle had to leave the room, mumbling something about talking to a nurse.

"Emmett hush! Now this man is here to help you, so be nice young man. I'm sorry officer Hunt, you have to excuse him, he is under the influence of drugs, after all. It's not his fault." She said, smiling at him charmingly.

Mike Hunt, he wasn't _just _a Mike in my eyes, huffed slightly and his cheeks reddened, and he cleared his throat again, uncomfortable.

"Let's just get this over with." He said, sitting down in a chair, his pen and pad in hand.

"Now, normally I would just ask you what you saw, but seeing as your cousin over here listened to his voicemail on speaker with me in the room, I'd like to ask you something else. How could you two girls _possibly_ know that Emmett was going to be attacked by this woman, an hour before it happened, while you were in Las Vegas?" He asked, raising both of his eyebrows at us expectantly.

I glanced over at Alice, who was almost hyperventilating. There really was no answer we could give, that would even make the smallest kind of sense without telling the truth. How could we know what happened a whole hour before it actually did?

"Why didn't you answer your phone, Emmett?" I asked, confused.

"I turned it off, so I could break up with her without any interruptions." He mumbled with a lazy grin on his face, his eyes almost closing. Carlisle chose that moment to walk into the room, settling down in his chair and placing both of his hands in his lap.

"You still haven't answered my question." Hunt said, annoyed, his pen hovering over the peace of paper expectantly. Damn Emmett, couldn't he wait with the messages?!

"Um…" Was my smart reply, my eyes once again snapping over to Alice. She took a deep breath, and tried to collect herself somewhat.

"I, I had this, this _dream_, that, um, Emmett was, eh, going to be tied up and, you know…" She stammered, staring at the floor. Esme's eyes widened as she stared at Alice in shock. She opened her mouth to say something but closed it again, opting to rather look over at her equally shocked husband.

"So let me get this straight. You had a dream about this, that this would happen before it actually did?" Hunt asked, shocked, but not too surprised, amazingly enough.

Alice nodded her head quickly, still staring at the white hospital floors, her hands folded tightly to her chest, as if protecting herself from all evil in the room.

"Has this sort of thing happened before?" He asked her, scribbling something down quickly on his pad. I tried to see what it said, but he pulled it back, giving me a small glare. I looked away, not wanting to push my luck. Maybe he would believe her.

"Yes." Alice whispered, tightening her arms around herself.

"How old are you, Alice?" Hunt asked, a gleam in his eye now. This turned out to be more about Alice then Emmett, and I wasn't sure if I liked it or not. On one hand, it didn't seem like My cunt over here was totally against the idea that something like a psychic person actually could exist. But on the other hand, was it really all that wise to have him so interested in her?

"Sixteen."

"And where are your parents in all of this?"

There was a dead silence, and I closed my eyes tightly.

"I don't know." She whispered, finally. Emmett was staring at her with a funny look on his face while Esme gasped slightly, but tried to cover it up behind her hand.

"Well, when was the last time you saw them?" He asked, scribbling furiously on his notebook.

"Hey, isn't this whole thing about Emmett, really? Shouldn't you be asking questions about what we saw at his house rather then this?" I asked him, trying to keep the desperate note out of my voice.

"This is rather important too, miss Swan. Now wait your turn." He said sternly, and I flipped him the bird as soon as he turned his attention away from me. _Diarrheaface_.

"When I was eight." She answered him reluctantly, and his eyes bugged out slightly.

"Have you been in the system?"

"Yes. But I don't want to go back." She said, a little force in her voice. I had a feeling she would be fighting with tooth and nail for this, and I would back her up one hundred present.

"I see. What's your full name, Alice?"

"Mary Alice Brandon, and I'm not going back into the system." She said, raising her head and staring at him with her huge blue eyes unblinkingly.

"Where do you live at the moment?" Hunt asked, ignoring her completely. Carlisle frowned, and I could see from the corner of my eyes that he was having a silent conversation with Esme.

"With Bella, in the RV." Mike Hunt's eyes widened slightly, and he turned his attention over to me.

"And how old are you Ms. Swan? And where are your parents?" He asked with an expressionless face. I gave him a fake smile, leaning back against the wall.

"Sorry, I have to wait my turn." I said childishly, stopping myself from poking out my tongue. He sighed and rolled his eyes slightly.

"Now is your turn. So speak up," He snapped, turning a page in his notebook.

"Don't talk to her like that!" Emmett said loudly, trying to sit up. Esme pushed him back down again, hushing him.

"Be quiet Emmett. He'll talk with you later." She said quietly, her brown eyes firm. He huffed, but thankfully got quiet.

"I'm eighteen, so my parents whereabouts are irrelevant." I answered coldly, crossing my arms much the same way Alice was doing. Officer Hunts eyes narrowed slightly, but he let it go.

"I'd like to hear the whole story, and not just confusing bits and pieces." Carlisle piped up helpfully, and Alice gave him a small, thankful smile.

"Why don't you start Alice, and Bella you can fill in where she's forgetting things, alright?" Hunt the Cunt suggested in a lighter voice, and I nodded curtly.

"We were stopping in Vegas for a short while on the trip down here, and we got tired so we decided to go to bed. And then I got a vision of Emmett and Daisy and saw everything that happened. Bella woke me up and asked me what was wrong, and I told her everything that I saw… She tried to warn him, officer, but he wasn't picking up his phone so we drove down here to help him. That's when we saw that she'd also smashed his entire house, and I saw in another…vision, or dream I mean, that, um, she was burning all his clothes." She mumbled out the whole statement, tugging at the bottom of her shirt nervously. An awkward silence filled the room.

"So you're a psychic, then?" Carlisle asked, breaking the tension. Alice's eyes snapped over to his face, a look of confusion clouding her eyes.

"I suppose you could call it that. I know it sounds crazy, but, it's true. I can't help it, and I've tried to stop getting them, but I just can't make them go away." She said hurriedly, trying to explain herself.

"It's not crazy, dear, and I think you've proven all of us that you're telling the truth. And if it wasn't for one of your visions, Emmett here would've still be tied up to the bed post." Esme said gently, walking over to her and slipping one arm around her shoulders, giving her a little squeeze.

Alice looked up at her in shock, her intense eyes wide as saucers. A small smile ghosted around her lips, hesitantly.

"I saved one?" She asked quietly, almost to herself. It suddenly occurred to me that this was the first time Alice had been able to get to a person before they died. Of course, this time wasn't really about life and death, but we didn't know that before we actually got here.

"You were on time Alice." I told her, grinning like a fool myself. To think, that the first person she actually 'saved', well, from a big load of pain anyway, was my cousin, was amazing, and I knew that if it hadn't been for her, Emmett would still be tied up in his bedroom.

"Would you mind explaining? What do you mean she was on time?" Cunt, I mean Hunt, asked loudly, breaking up our small moment. I rolled my eyes and huffed, biting my tongue hard before I said something I would regret. This was the guy who decided Alice's future. I couldn't just star yelling at him like I felt like doing.

"I tend to see kids being abducted or people getting killed, but the visions are always too late, and the person always dies before the police get there. _Always_. This is the first time I've had a vision about a person who needs help, and actually made it there before he died."

"Like Esme said, she saved him." I said proudly, my annoyance with the officer slipping away. Alice gave me a wide smile, showing all her white teeth.

"So you mean to tell me you can see who the murderer is, just like that?" The officer asked, forgetting to write on his notepad. I recognized the gleam in his eyes to be excitement, and felt a tiny shred of hope blossoming in my chest.

"It usually happens when I see the picture of the person who's missing, or something that they own…Does this mean that you believe me?" Alice asked him hesitantly, shuffling a little closer to Esme who was still holding an arm around her. This was probably one of the first friendly hugs Alice had gotten in a long time.

"I do, actually. This isn't the first time a psychic person has helped the police to solve a case. I've actually met one myself. He works for the FBI in Georgia, and he came down here to help us solve a case a few years ago. It was amazing, and he too described his visions as dreams. Of course, evidence from a psychic doesn't hold up in court, but it can help us in more ways then one." Mike said, scratching his double chin with an indifferent manner.

"Are you interested in helping the police, Alice? You'd be helping a lot of innocent people." He said with the first kind smile I'd seen on his face. Alice's eyes lit up, and she nodded her head.

"Wait a minute! What's going to happen to her? Are you putting her back into the system?" I asked him sharply. No way in hell were they taking advantage of someone as kind as Alice.

"I'm afraid so. You aren't old enough to adopt her, and Emmett here cannot adopter her ether, because he is not a fit parental figure-"

"Hey! I'd be a damn good father, and I will be, some day." Emmett interrupted loudly, glaring at the officer. There's just something about our genes that doesn't like the police. It was like putting two alpha dogs from two different packs together in a tiny room. Not a good combination.

"I'm sure you will, but not that the age of twenty two. I'm sorry Alice, but I'm afraid you're going to have to go back into the system unless you know someone who can take care of you." He said, frowning himself. It didn't seem like he wanted to send her back to some kind of orphanage. They could take her, and send her wherever the hell they wanted. I would just have to break in there and get her out again. It's not like my future is the brightest. I didn't have too much to lose.

"What if I help you at the police station, solving cases I mean? I'm not going back to the system, you _have _to understand, I can't go back there!" She said frantically, and tears started forming in her eyes. Esme wrapped both of her arms around her, making Alice's tiny form to break out in tears.

"I'm sorry, but that wouldn't work ether. I'm afraid you're going to have to come with me-"

"Oh shut your trap, Hunt! She's coming home with Carlisle and I. No one is going back into the system and that's final." Esme said loudly, shooting daggers with her eyes at the flustered police officer.

"But I don't know you guys!" Alice wailed loudly, still sobbing and clutching herself to Esme's zoo keeper uniform.

I glanced awkwardly over to Emmett, who too looked like the picture of uncomfortable. None of us were good with people who cried, just looking at it made me want to leave the room. Heck even Emmett, who's propped up on drugs looked like he wanted to leave.

"We'll take good care of you Alice. You get to have your own bedroom and bathroom, you'll go to school, and you can see Bella whenever you want. And I'm pretty sure our home beats any orphanage they'd send you to." Carlisle said kindly, still sitting in his chair by the desk.

Alice lifted her head and looked at him quizzically.

"You'd do that for me? A complete stranger?" She asked, sniffling and wiping her tears away from her face. She still hadn't stopped crying, but at least she wasn't sobbing anymore.

"Of course we would dear. Any friend of Emmett is a friend of ours. And of course we can't let him take you to some silly old orphanage! Now, you said she wouldn't need to go back into the system if she had someone who could take care of her, and now she does." Esme said to Hunt the Cunt hunter, daring him to disagree with her.

"You really should go live with them Alice, their place is awesome. They even have a pool." Emmett told her, almost falling asleep. This certainly wasn't how I expected things to go, but as Carlisle had said, it would beat going to an orphanage.

"I'd much rather live with you then go to an orphanage." She mumbled, staring at me intently. I smiled back at her reassuringly. They would be able to give her a good life, and they were probably loaded enough to send her off to college.

"Then it's settled. You're coming home with us." Esme declared, glowing. Mike Hunt cleared his throat, and sat up a little straighter.

"Alright, we need some order here now. Both of you understand that we have to send someone from Child services over to your home and check both of you to see if you are fit parents, right?" Both of them nodded. "Okay, and you will have to sign some papers and then everything should be in order.

"Now, do you want to sue Ms. Daniels?" Cunt asked, turning his attention over to Emmett. Emmett's eyes snapped open.

"If she agrees to pay for all damages to my house, and all my medical bills, I won't sue. And I want a restraining order against her." He muttered, closing his eyes again.

"She'll get fired, for stealing and killing some very valuable jellyfish." Esme said before he even had a chance to ask her anything. Officer Hunt nodded, jotted everything down on his little notepad and looked up at us.

"Everything seems to be in order then. Alice, my offer still stands. If you want to come into the station after school and help us, we'd me more then happy to have you with us. And, it could help you out later in life if you're interested in becoming a cop, or maybe work for the FBI or CIA." He offered her. Alice gave him a warm smile, looking happier then I'd ever seen her.

"You know what? I think I'll take you up on that offer."

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**AN: OKAY! Next chapter will be five years later, and I think all of you are going to love it!**

**This chapter is okay, I personally don't like it that much, but it works. If ANY of you think I should write one more chapter before we go over to the five years later part, speak up now, or forever hold your peace.**

**Ait, hope all of you liked it, even though I didn't, and Review! (I also love Alerts and Favorites!)**

**- Love, STS -**


	11. ELEVEN

**READ THE AN AT THE BOTTOM WHEN YOU ARE DONE!**

**Read and Enjoy ;)**

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Five Years Later.

Age - 23 - Bella POV 

"Emmett _please_, I'm already late to pick up Alice as it is, and the party starts in thirty minutes, now would you stop bugging me?! Gosh, even Alex doesn't bother me this much, and he's 3 years old!" I snapped at him as I fixed my makeup and making sure my top sat on right.

"I'm 3 and a _half_!" Alex shouted from the living room, making me smile slightly. He was just as loud as his father.

Emmett sighed noisily from behind me, banging his head on the door.

"But you don't even _want_ to go, you don't even know this woman! And you _promised_ me that you would stay inn with us tonight before you promised Alice you'd go with her to some stupid lady's night." Emmett told me, annoyed, and I sighed with him. Because what he was saying was absolutely true. I didn't want to go to this stupid thing, but I couldn't let Alice go alone ether. Not when they were all treating her like dirt because of her visions, no matter how many cases she'd helped solve over the years.

"Emmett you know I can't let her go alone. She said that she saw herself coming back home in tears if she went there alone, but that everything would be fine if I came with her. What do you want me to do, leave her to the evil bitches? Besides, she promised me we'd leave early, so I'll come home in a few hours and we'll have our movie night then, okay? We can do something else with Alex another day." I told him distractedly as I put on my blue pumps.

"I know… I was just looking forward to spending some quality time with you tonight. Alex picked out a movie and everything." He muttered, looking down at his feet like a little kid. I had to smile at him. It was always nice to have someone wanting to spend time with you, even after all these years.

"How about you and Alex drive us there?" I asked him, and his mood brightened at once. He nodded quickly and slipped on his own shoes.

"Come on Alex! We're driving Aunt Bella to some fancy place!" He yelled loudly, and both of us grinned at each other when we heard his little feet running out of the living room. He threw himself at my legs, making me stumble as he looking up at me with big, brown eyes.

"But you were _suppose _to stay in with me and Daddy tonight! I've picked out Spiderman and _everything_!" He whined, and I brushed some of his blond curls out of his disappointed eyes.

Alex had been born 3 (_and a half_!) years ago, and his mother had died giving birth to him. Originally, he was just a product of a one night stand and a broken condom, but when Abby, Alex's mother, had come crying on Emmett's doorstep two months later, saying she was pregnant, Emmett had agreed to give the idea of a relationship a shot for the baby's sake.

They'd fallen in love over the next seven months, so when she died giving birth, Emmett was… devastated. He pulled himself together whenever he had to take care of Alex, but he broke down crying every night as soon as the baby fell asleep. He would hardly eat, or spend any time with any of his friends. I practically had to rip Alex out of his arms and push him out the door with his buddy's so he could go get a drink and get over Abby. Or at least try.

He didn't start dating again until Alex was 2 years old, but it was never serious.

"I know! I was _so_ looking forward to seeing Spiderman for the fifteenth time too! But, Alice needs my company more then you boys do tonight. I'll make it up to you though, okay?" I said, taking his chubby little hand in mine. It wasn't hard to see that he was Emmett's kid. They looked so much alike it was almost scary. He would grow up to be just as big as his dad too, no doubt.

Emmett snorted at my sarcasm, but luckily, Alex didn't pick up on it. He just sighed and shook his head, his blond curls bouncing around.

"Alright, let's go get Aunt Alice." He mumbled, disappointed. We walked over to the car, and Emmett strapped Alex into the backseat before jumping into the driver side of his crappy little zoo car.

"So what's going to happen on this little work related get together thing anyway? I mean, how much fun can FBI agents have? It's not like they can do anything illegal." Emmett asked curiously as he backed out of the driveway. I still had my RV, which still stood in Emmett's driveway. But I lived in a loft now, not too far from here. The RV was mostly used for longer trips, or when some of us wanted to be alone with a _special_ friend.

"I don't know, the Queen Bee of the office solved another big case where they saved three people from being killed, so she's throwing a huge party in her own honor." I said, rolling my eyes. Emmett's brows furrowed up in confusion.

Alex was playing on his Gameboy, the one he'd gotten from Esme and Carlisle at Christmas, so we weren't too concerned about him overhearing us.

"But didn't Alice solve that case?" He asked, perplexed. Alice had been really happy the other day because the missing people turned up okay, even though six others had been murdered. But, the killer was behind bars now and everything was alright and back to normal.

"She did, but her boss, Becky, took all the credit. So Alice is just invited." I said, annoyed. I'd long sense given up on getting Alice to stand up to her boss, or to anyone for that matter. She just didn't have it in her. Sure, she'd gotten some backbone over the years, but compared to any one else, it was weak. At least she wasn't the quiet little Alice I'd met all those years ago, and that had to count for something.

Emmett rolled his eyes, knowing why I was so annoyed. It bugged him just as much as it bugged me. If it hadn't been for the fact that Alice loved her job, I'd of gone up there and given them a peace of my mind a _long_ time ago.

Emmett honked when we stopped outside of Alice's house. It was white, little, and cute, and she'd gotten it for a good price. She'd offered for me to come and live with her more then once, since she had a backyard and three bedrooms, a basement and a second floor with two bathrooms in it. But I liked my small loft. It was cozy and just the way I liked it.

She came running out, locking the door behind her in her haste, and jumped into the car quickly with a big smile on her face.

"Thank you so much Bella, you have no idea how much this means to me. And I'm sorry for taking her away from you tonight guys, I know how much you wanted to spend some special family time tonight. I'll make it up to you Alex, I swear." Her promise fell on deaf ears, as Alex just continued to play. She closed the door and put on her seat belt. Which reminded her that we weren't wearing ours.

"Seatbelts on, both of you." She said, her voice a little sharper then normal. I rolled my eyes but did as she said with a little smile on my mouth. Emmett did the same.

"Yes _mom_," We mocked her, laughing at her exasperated face.

"So, what is going to happen tonight Alice? And just so you know, I had to cancel two appointments." I lied, trying to make her feel guilty. The reason I was suppose to have a movie night with my nephew and cousin was because I'd been working like crazy at the shop for the past couple of months, and when I wasn't working, I was sleeping. Heck, I didn't even have the weekends off anymore.

"Well, its just going to be a small dinner, a few games and a male, um, _exotic dancer_, is coming later on in the evening…" She said, looking like the picture of uncomfortable. I smiled widely at this, making Emmett shudder. Perhaps this night wouldn't be so bad after all…

"And that's not true, because you were having a night with Emmett and Alex, and your next appointment isn't until 1 PM tomorrow, which reminds me, Emmett, you need to wake her up so she's not late, because she's going to be if you don't. And don't even try to guilt me into believing something else. Alice knows all." She said in a bored tone, which made Emmett laugh. It never stopped to amaze him how she knew everything. And I mean _everything_.

It turned out that people like Alice were very rare, but not unheard of for the FBI and CSI and the US government. She'd gotten to know a few other people like herself from different states, that also helped solving cases, and they'd helped her learn how to control her visions, and get them to come more frequently.

"Fine, you got me. I don't know why I even bother anymore, it never works anyway." I muttered, crossing my arms with a pout. As long as they would serve alcohol, I would be fine.

"So, are you guys exited about tomorrow?" She asked us, and I smiled over at Emmett. He was _finally_ bringing me to work, after years of begging, and I was going to wrestle with Dexter tomorrow for the first time, and as a show for everyone in the park too. It was only one of many animal show's going on, but it was still cool for me. I couldn't wait, I was so exited.

Emmett, however, wasn't all that thrilled. Dexter had been acting like a brat lately, snapping and growling at nothing, and Emmett didn't like his new attitude. But Alice had reassured him over and over again that everything was going to be fine, and that I was a natural at it. In fact, she said that I was so good, that I didn't even need to practice. She'd even made sure that I didn't try anything at all. Besides, Dexter knew who I was, so it wasn't like I would be a complete stranger to him.

"I am, but you know how Emmett gets." I said, rolling my eyes.

"Oh, so now all of a sudden its bad that I want to look out for my baby sister?" He snapped at me, and I poked my tongue out at him. Alice giggled and shook her head at the two of us.

"Emmett, if it was up to you, you'd put Bella and Alex in a bubble and put them in a safe room where nothing bad could ever happen to them." She said with a snort. Emmett had always looked at me like his baby sister, and I'd always viewed him as my older brother. It felt natural to introduce him as my brother even when we were little.

And he was even more protective over Alex, if that was even possible. Granted, the kid wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer, and he was born without common sense, always doing dangerous things that no other kid in the whole neighborhood would even consider doing. In other words, he fit right into the Swan/McCarthy family.

"Would not." He pouted.

"And besides, wrestling alligators is dangerous, no matter how well you know them. Their still wild animals." Emmett said, staring at Alice seriously in the mirror.

"Yeah, we tried to tell you that too when Bubble's tale tip broke." I shot back at him.

"Well she needed her daddy to look after her." Emmett said, making both Alice and I burst out in laughter.

"Well she didn't need to sleep in your bed, but you put her there anyway. So the 'animals are always dangerous' crap you keep trying to feed us is bull Emmett, and you know it. I'm doing it tomorrow, and Alice saw that everything was going to be fine, so can we please talk about something else?" I said, rolling my eyes, sick of having this argument. _Again_. Even Alex was sick of hearing about it, and he's three!

"Doesn't matter, we're here anyway. Bye Alex, Emmett, thanks for the ride." Alice said, leaning over and giving him a hug and kissing the top of Alex's head before jumping out of the car.

"Bye Emmett, I'll try not to drink too much, and not be too late. Save some pizza for me, and I'll see you later tonight, alright?" I told him, already opening the door to his crappy little green zoo car. I stepped out and opened Alex's door, ripping the Gameboy out of his hands.

"Hey!" He protested loudly, giving me a mean glare that resembled the one I gave. I grinned back at him, hugging his tiny form and leveling my face with his.

"I really am sorry about tonight, okay? And I will make it up to you. Are you exited about tomorrow?" I asked him, and his whole face lit up into a mischievous grin.

"Yup! Grandma said we could be backstage and look at you and Daddy. And she promised me Ice Cream!" He yelled excitedly, almost making my eardrum explode.

"Inside voice, kid, I'm right here, no need to yell. I'm glad you're exited, and so am I! You know what, after tomorrow, how about you come and spend the night over at my place, and you can play with Roxanne if you want? I know she's been missing you." I asked, and he nodded his head quickly, and I was almost afraid that his chubby cheeks would crack from the way he was smiling.

"Is that okay with you Emmett?" I glanced up at my cousin, who was grinning at me from the front seat.

"Sure, and call me if you want to be picked up. I think I might call Tony and see what he's up to, if... that's okay with you?" He asked me a little uncomfortable. I gave him a tight smile, handing Alex's Gameboy back to him.

"Yeah, that's fine. Bye," I told him, slamming the door behind me. Tony was one of Emmett's friends, which I'd dated for a short while. We'd broken up a few weeks ago over something stupid that I couldn't even remember. But it wasn't like our relationship had lasted very long or had been anything special. It was just too soon for us to be in the same room without starting a fight, which always ended with Emmett having to chose between me and Tony.

I clutched Edward ring in my hand as I walked up to the big house, or should I say mansion.

I still had it on a chain around my neck, and I only took it off if I really had to.

Alice was waiting for me at the top of the stairs, and she saw what I was doing, but didn't comment on it. She was a firm believer in that if I would just get rid of the ring, or put it in a drawer, I would be able to date a guy for more then three months. I, however, told her to stay out of it and worry about her own love life. I would never put Edward's ring away, and that had nothing to do with holding on to the hope that I might see him again. I just didn't want to give him up, and I couldn't see anything wrong in that. Besides, the ring was cool and it looked awesome on me.

We walked into the huge house/mansion, where a butler came to collect our jackets. I knew Alice hated mine, but then again I didn't like hers ether.

My jacked was dark gray, and the arms stopped a little under my elbows while the jacket itself stopped right under my boobs.

Alice told me it was unprofessional and that I looked like an overgrown teenager, but I didn't care. This was Florida for crying out loud. It was hot all the time, and it wasn't like I was only wearing a bra underneath the thing. Well…not today at least.

"Couldn't you have put on a nice shirt or something?" Alice hissed quietly, as she handed the butler her long thin beige coat.

I looked down at my black, tight pants that stopped just above my knees, and my tight light blue tank top with a frown.

"What? Its not _all_ black, and its got a heart on it too, see!" I protested back, pointing at my thank top. She'd told me not to wear all black today, and try to dress up, and I had, I honestly had. I'd even curled my hair slightly.

"Yeah, with a freaking skull in it. At least its not big…But I was thinking about your Tattoo's, their all showing, and you could have at least put on a top that didn't show your stomach. For crying out loud, you're 23 years old!" She said, fixing her red dress and trying to pull it lower. I didn't know why, she had a great figure, but she was always trying to hide it. She didn't even have any scars that showed from her time with her foster parents in Nevada.

"Alice would you stop bugging me so much? Yeah, I'm 23, still young enough to wear something like this without looking stupid. You can harass me about shit like that when I'm 36 or something. And you should be happy and thankful that I'm even coming to this fucking thing. I hate cops, you know I do. But I'm coming here with you anyway as support, so the least you could do is be nice to me and cut me some slack. I'm trying my best here! And I don't go to these formal things for a reason." I hissed quietly at her. Besides, it showed off my pierced belly button, and I really liked my new piercing.

"And, I'm not going to try and hide who I am because of some snobby assholes you feel the need to kiss up to. So lay off." She sighed and nodded her head, mumbling a quick, _'Their FBI_ _agents'_, but I could tell she was still nervous.

"I'm sorry Bella, its just that they think so little of me already… I just want to impress them." She told me quietly. The butler had gone to get Becky, or the lady of the house as he'd put it.

"If I'm such a huge embarrassment, you shouldn't have brought me here at all." I said with a scowl. I hated it when she got like this. Trying to be perfect so people would like her. Alice was awesome when she hung out with just Emmett, Alex and me, and... John, not that Emmett or I liked him though, but seeing as he was her boyfriend, he kinda tagged a long with us.

I knew why they didn't like her, and honestly, I could kinda see it from their point of view. They worked their way into the FBI through hard work and many years of training, while Alice got a job with them the same year she was out of High School. Heck, she'd solved more cases then any of them while she was _in_ High School. I could see why they were so bitter towards her.

"I'm sorry Bella, you know I didn't mean it like that. Of course I'm not embarrassed of you, I just want them to like me, that's all." She said quietly. I nodded my head and put on a fake smile as a blond woman that oozed stupidity came walking around the corner of the cold museum like house.

"Oh, Alice, I'm _so_ glad you could make it. And you brought your... little friend too. How nice. I'm Becky, and you are…?" She said in a pompous way, a big fake smile on her face. She didn't hold out her manicured hand for me to shake. That was fine by me.

"Isabella, _charmed_ to meet you." I said, trying to hide my laughter. I'd been thinking about how to introduce myself all day to these snobby investigators that Alice talked so much about.

I could tell Alice wanted to smack me, because she'd known me long enough to hear the sarcasm and mockery in my voice.

"I love your dress Alice, its so, little and cute, just like you." She said with a fake hyena like laughter. I laughed a loud fake laugh too, making both of them give me slightly strange looks.

"Thank you," Alice said in a small, timid voice. I hated seeing Alice like this, but there was nothing I could do about it. I'd tried just about everything.

"And Isabella, I simply must say, your body art is…_divine_." She said, pursing her lips, her eyes openly showing her disgust for my tattoo's. I smiled my thanks, but didn't say anything. One thing that I loved about my tattoo's was that they freaked so many people out.

"Well, we need to go into the dining room, almost everybody's here. My husband, who is a doctor by the way Isabella, in case you didn't know, set everything up for us tonight." She said, and I had to suppress a snort. Alice had told me that Becky used every opportunity to say that she was married to a doctor. I couldn't really see the appeal. Doctors always had such cold hands.

"How lovely." I answered, and we walked into the dinging hall. I couldn't understand how two people who didn't even have children could possibly need such a big house for. And by the looks of things, they were never even home.

A lot of overweight, middle aged women were sitting there, and some younger ones a little older then us. It seemed like everybody had brought their own friend with them.

Alice and I took a seat at an almost empty table, there were just two other unpleasant looking women sitting across from us.

"Hello Helga." Alice said pleasantly, and the oldest of the two raised two eyebrows at me, then looked back at Alice.

"Brandon, I didn't know _you_ had friends." Was the first thing that came out of her mouth, which, by the way, had a lot of black hairs over it. I could feel my anger starting to boil. Alice tried to smile a fake smile, but I could tell that the comment stung.

"Well she does. She's actually got a lot of friends, I'm just happy that she picked me to come with her." I told the rude lady. If it wasn't for the fact that Alice worked with this woman, I would have been rude to her right from the start. But I didn't want to embarrass Alice ether.

Besides, I'd learned when to be nice and when it was okay to be rude over the years. I was much more pleasant now then I was when I'd first met Alice. And, I hate to say it, but she eventually got me to stop stealing all together. Besides, both Emmett and I had to straighten up our acts when Alex was born. We couldn't very well bring him up with the same juvenile morals we had at the time. Emmett had stopped growing plants and kept his cursing to a minimum while I'd stopped with my kleptomaniac ways.

"Really, Alice never told us about all of these friends of hers." Helga went on, her double chin jiggling as she spoke. Oh, all the things I wanted to say right now, she was like the perfect person to be rude to, but I managed to bite my tongue. Alice had installed a word filter in me over the years too, much to my displeasure.

"Well, this is Bella, my best friend." Alice said, trying to pretend like this old hag hadn't just been rude to her. I pinched her thigh, but she ignored me, still keeping that fake smile on her face. Before anyone could say anything else, Becky stood up and clapped her hands together to get everybody's attention.

"Alright everyone, seems like we're all here. We'll start off tonight with some delicious Lobster from Norway, and later we'll have some delicious deserts from France. All the food will come from Europe tonight ladies, even the wine, which is from Italy. All of this was organized by my husband, _Dr_. Snow." She said, pretending to be humble as everybody clapped loudly. My hands remained in my lap.

"Now, after our meal we'll have a few games. And later on tonight, I have a very special treat for everyone." She said with a devious smile. She kind of reminded me of Wilhelmina Slater from Ugly Betty. Only white, with strawberry blond hair.

She sat back down and the food was served.

"I thought Europe was a country? What did she mean by Norway, France and Italy? Aren't they just states? Not that I've ever heard of Norway before…" Helga's obese friend said, and I was almost alarmed at the excitement in her eyes when the food came.

"Well obviously their just states Nancy," Helga said, rolling her eyes.

"Actually, France, Italy _and_ Norway are all countries. Norway is just very small, so not many people have heard of it before. But France and Italy are fairly known, so its surprising that you guys didn't know that." I said, trying to pretend like it wasn't _too _obvious, although it was.

Not knowing the name of the countries, that was okay, but thinking that Europe was a country in itself? Come on, how stupid can you be?

"Well aren't you just all smart and knowledgeable." Helga snapped, pointing a fat finger my way. I smiled back at her, knowing she only wanted to piss me off.

"Do you got any which craft powers like Brandon over here? Talk to the dead or something?" She asked, laughing loudly at her own joke. Nancy laughed too, and stared at Alice in open wonder, as if she was some kind of fascinating freak.

"No, unfortunately not. I wasn't born with her gift." I said with a sad sigh, smiling over at Alice who was being oddly quiet.

Alice smiled back at me in thanks, eating her lobster in her own little world.

"Gift? More like birth defect. Stuff like that isn't normal." Helga muttered, stabbing a peace of salad and dumping it in her napkin. No wonder she was so fat.

"So you don't think its good that her visions just saved three people from dying?" I asked her politely, raising both of my eyebrows.

"Bella…" Alice said quietly, but I ignored her. I wasn't being rude or anything like that. Helga rubbed her stubby cheek, and I wondered briefly if she had to shave every morning.

"Well if it was so damn good, then six people wouldn't have died, now would they?" Helga said, and I could tell that she was starting to get mad. I shrugged my shoulder indifferently, poking my food around the plate slowly.

"Well, I heard on the news that the police got there too late, but Alice's visions were right the whole time. The killer was just too quick, and he moved too fast." I said innocently. Helga was about to say something but Alice cut us off.

"Hey, have you all heard about that new jewelry store that opened up at the mall? Its top of the line, apparently." Alice said, a little loudly, making Helga huff. Nancy seemed like a fairly stupid woman, so I had a light conversation with her about dogs while Alice and Helga sat in uncomfortable silence throughout the rest of the dinner, both looking down at their plates.

Let's just say that the games were stupid, and Alice and I tried to stay out of them as much as possible. It was starting to get late, and I could feel the wine starting to take effect, but I knew Alice couldn't leave yet, which meant that I had to stay too.

"Alright ladies, and now for the special surprise!" Becky called, drunker then the rest of us put together. I wouldn't be surprised if she ended up sleeping underneath one of the tables tonight.

"Now as you all know, we are all well respected FBI agents, and we're all good at what we do. We all work hard, long hours, and sometimes dangerous undercover jobs. And its nice to get a little visit from the cops once in a while when we have to take over a case from them. And the case is always delivered from a very cute, young police man…" She trailed off, and started to laugh.

I could see the excitement in everybody's eyes. Even Alice looked interested now. That was probably because she knew about the stripper already.

"So I want you all to welcome a new cop, who's agreed to punish all of us!" She finished with her high hyena like laughter, and the lights dimmed and the doors opened, and out came a young male stripped in a police uniform.

"Did anyone call the cops?" He asked with a cocky smirk, his big cop sunglasses hiding his eyes.

All the women started screaming and pulling out their wallets to throw money at him as he put down his boom box and smiled charmingly to us all. He pushed play and started dancing, which made everyone scream even more. Everyone except Alice and I.

I wasn't screaming because I recognized who that young well trained stripper was. And Alice was just weird like that.

In fact, I'd gone to school with that young male stripper that just threw off his gun belt to one of the middle aged women, and just placed his hat on Becky's head.

_Jasper Whitlock_.

I just couldn't believe that Edward's best friend was a stripper. A _male_ stripper. I just couldn't stop the laughter that bubbled up inside of me. Jasper had always been quiet and sort of dramatic over the smallest little thing. And I was laughing because I was happy to see him. It just seemed so unrealistic that Jasper _freaking_ Whitlock was a _stripper_.

The song ended, but he didn't stop dancing, he was still fully dressed. A new song started playing, and he gave extra attention to Becky, which made me believe that she'd paid him to give her extra attention.

He ripped off his shirt, which made all of the women scream even louder, if that was possible. Alice was staring at him with glazed eyes, but so were the rest of the women, so I didn't think much about it. Besides, she had a boyfriend. A complete and total loser, but a boyfriend none the less.

Jasper hadn't seen me yet, but I knew I would have to talk to him. Did he still know Edward? Was Edward in Florida too? Was he seeing anyone? Was he married? What did he do for a living? So many questions were running through my head at the moment, but I couldn't stop laughing over the fact that _The _Jasper Whitlock was a stripper.

He still had the sunglasses on, and his shoes, but the pants were off and he was only wearing a bright blue male thong underneath, making me laugh even harder. Not that anyone heard me over their own screaming.

"What are you laughing at Bella?" Alice asked, ripping her eyes away from the hunk who was currently humping her boss at the moment.

"I know that guy!" I said between laughs, and Alice's brow furrowed.

"You know him? How?" She asked me suspiciously.

"We went to school together, back in Washington. He was Edward's best friend. He's name is Jasper." I told her, still giggling.

"_This_ is Jasper?" She asked me, amazed. I'd told her about the blond loser that Edward hung out with. I liked Edward a lot when we were in school, I did, I even had a crush on him which I knew could have grown into something more if he'd come with me. But that didn't change the fact that he was the school loser and dork. I wouldn't have changed him for all the money in the world though.

All I could do at the moment was nod as we both looked over at the very hansom man who just ripped off the rest of his shirt and threw it over to one of the obese women. I had to admit, he didn't look much like a gangly dork anymore.

Not long after that, a new song came on, and he started to give Becky's friend a lap dance, something she seemed to like very much. She put a hundred dollar bill down his thong, which I still couldn't believe he was wearing, and he placed his sunglasses on the top of her head, and she pretended to faint.

"Hey hansom, how bout you come over here and give me a lap dance?" One of the older women called, who was sitting right beside Alice and I. Jasper danced his way over to her, even though I'm pretty sure she used to be a man at some point in her life, and started to give her a lap dance, acting as if he enjoyed it just as much as she did.

I was sitting a little behind her, and he still didn't see me, but that was understandable, seeing as he was currently shaking his ass in her face. He turned around and smiled at her charmingly.

"Hey Jasper, can I go next?" I said a little loudly, and he stopped dancing immediately and turned in my direction.

"Bella?" He asked, astonished. I grinned up at him and gave a small wave. He gulped loudly and started to get a slightly panicked look on his face.

"Start dancing again pretty boy, I don't pay you to stand still!" Becky yelled at him, and Jasper put on a big smirk again, and continued to dance. Only this time, he was giving me a lap dance.

"_You're_ an FBI agent?!" He hissed incredulously, grinding his junk on my leg. I snorted loudly and found a few bucks which I stuffed down his thong, making him even more uncomfortable about the whole situation.

"Don't be ridicules, your smarter then that. No, Alice here is an FBI agent. I'm just her friend. By the way, you should give her a lap dance. I'm sure she would _love _one." I said with a mischievous smile. Alice started to protest and blush like crazy, but Jasper was already moving over to her chair, his eyes lightening up as soon as he spotted her red face.

"We'll talk later Bella." He told me, and I nodded, because I really wanted to talk to him too. He was staring at Alice in this really intense way, and she was the picture of uncomfortable. I could tell that she didn't like it at all as she stuffed a few dollars down his thong and tried to shoo him away from her. Oddly enough, he used more time giving her a lap dance then he did on Becky.

"What's wrong, don't you think he's hot?" I asked her as Jasper moved on with his humping and grinding.

"I just don't like strippers. I think its kind of gross how their offering their body up like that for money." She said quietly, staring after Jasper with a funny look on her face.

"Didn't seem like you had a problem with it when he ripped off his clothes before." I said with a small laugh. She blushed and fixed her dress slightly, looking around her purse for something.

"Well, I can't deny that his body is hot, and nice to look at. And yes, he is rather handsome, but I still don't like strippers." She said, clearing her throat slightly.

I think Jasper heard her, because he smiled bigger and danced harder after that, ignoring the fact that she'd said she didn't like strippers.

Jasper stopped dancing a few hours after that, and he must have been exhausted. Everybody was heading home except for Alice and I, because I wanted to talk to Jasper. Alice of course wanted to leave, which I could understand, but I wasn't about to let my information on Edward disappear out the door just like that.

I helped him collect money as he was putting on some sweatpants and an old t-shirt.

"How did you turn out to be a stripper?" I asked him, amazed as we walked out of Becky's house. She seemed very disappointed about Jasper leaving, almost as if she was planning something else, but she didn't say anything about it. Alice was waiting outside by Jaspers car. He had decided to drive us home.

"It's not like I'm professional or anything like that. Its just a job I have to get me through College." He said with a shrug, looking around his bag for he's keys as we walked around to the parking lot.

"You're not done with college yet?" I asked, surprised. I hadn't gone to college myself, but I owned my own very successful business so I didn't really feel the need to go.

"I took a few years off… But I want to be a teacher, so I decided to go back to school. Besides, this seemed like the best choice, since I can dance, and it's a night job." He said, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Hello Alice." He said, holding his hand out to her. Alice gave him a tight smile and crossed her arms over her chest, ignoring his outstretched hand. I looked at her funnily, wondering what the hell her problem was. Alice was never rude, not to _anyone_.

Jasper lowered his hand before walking around the car in silence and locking it up for us. It was a red convertible, and kind of girly.

"It's Rose's car. I don't have one at the moment." Jasper said, trying to break the uncomfortable silence that Alice had placed over us. She jumped into the back and I hopped up into the front.

"Its nice. Rosalie lives in Florida too then?" Jasper started up the car, which purred like a content kitten and we slipped out of the parking lot without a problem.

"Yeah, she does actually. She's a mechanic, works for Bob's Shop, if you know where that is." I did know, because it was only five blocks away from the zoo where Emmett worked.

"I do know where that is." I said with a smile. Alice told him her address and Jasper typed it into the GPS without a word. I don't know what her problem was, because Jasper hadn't done anything wrong as far as I knew.

"What do you do Bella?" Jasper asked, and it seamed like it was more out of filling the silence then curiosity.

"I'm a tattoo artist, got my own little shop down in the city and everything." I was really proud of it too, because I'd opened it officially a few months ago. I'd been working for a guy before that, but having your own place was way cooler.

"Wow, Edward said something about you tattooing people. I didn't know you were this serious. But then again, you did tattoo my dad, and its amazing by the way. I really shouldn't have been surprised." He said with a pleasant laugh.

My hand went automatically to Edwards ring as soon as he was mentioned, and I noticed that I'd been holding on to it a lot tonight.

"How is Edward anyway?" I asked, almost forgetting that Alice was in the back. She gave an exasperated sigh, and I could almost see her rolling her eyes. She wanted me to just forget about him all together.

"This is my stop, thanks for the ride. Bella, I'll call you in the morning." Alice said, slamming the door after her as she started to walk up the stairs to her house with a brisk pace.

"Alice, wait!" Jasper yelled, hurrying out of the car after her. I looked at him curiously. What the hell was he up to?

"I'm really sorry about giving you a lap dance when I could tell that you didn't want one. I don't know what came over me. Could I perhaps make it up to you over dinner tomorrow night?" He asked her, shuffling his feet slightly. Alice crossed her arms over her chest and huffed, looking away from his face.

"Thanks, but no thanks. I don't think my _boyfriend_, John, would like that very much." She snapped, ignoring his slightly hurt face.

I let out a loud whistle, letting my head rest on my hand as I stared at the both of them.

"What are you trying to do Alice, win the Bitch of the year contest? Because right now, I think you would beat Becky." I said with a laugh. Alice rolled her eyes and walked away without another word, muttering to herself about something.

"Love you!" I called after her, and my only reply was the banging of her door. Jasper dragged his feet back to the car and started it up again.

"Did I do something?" He asked me sadly, and I was once again reminded about how dramatic he could be. He was acting as if someone just ran over his puppy with a tanks.

"No, she's just weird sometimes. She's had a rough night. She's actually really sweet, once you get to know her. But back to Edward, how is he?" I couldn't wait anymore, I really wanted to know.

"You don't beat around the bush, do you?" Jasper asked with a low chuckle.

"I don't like bushes. Not the former president or the plant." I answered, making him chuckle.

"Always an answer for everything." He said, and I gave him a pointed look. I wanted to talk about Edward, not me.

"He's okay, I guess… Rose and I actually moved to Florida because he _had _to move to Florida. He's an intern at the local hospital." Jasper said, a weird look on his face.

"What do you mean he _had_ to move here?" He knew I was in Florida, was that why he had to move here? Or did he have to move her for some other reason, but actually wanted to stay away from Florida because of me? Who was being the dramatic one now? I almost snorted aloud at my own thoughts.

"He's been going to college in Chicago, to become a doctor. But his dad knew someone in the hospital down here who would help him along the way, and so Rose and I decided to move with him, so we could stay together and all that…" He trailed off.

"How can I not have met any of you in town?" I asked, dumfounded. I mean, Rose worked a few blocks down from the zoo, and I was there a lot to visit Emmett or baby sit Alex while he was having a show, and the Hospital wasn't that far away from where I lived and worked.

"We've only lived here for a few months, outside the city. Besides, Orlando is pretty big." I nodded my head in understanding. And of course its harder to find someone when your not even looking for them.

"Is he dating anyone?" I asked him straight out. Jasper nodded, but didn't say anything else about it. He stopped outside of Emmett's house and smiled over at me.

"Well, maybe I'll run into you again, here is my number, if you want to catch up with Rose and I, and maybe even Edward?" He said hesitantly, handing me his stripper card. I had to laugh at it, but stuffed it into my purse anyway.

"Sure, I'll call. And maybe I'll even bring Alice along. I'm sorry about her by the way, I don't know what she had stuffed up her ass tonight." I said with a laugh. Jasper smiled to, but it didn't reach his eyes. I handed him my Tattoo business card, and stepped out of the car.

I was half way up Emmett's driveway, stumbling over Alex's bike before I thought of something.

"Hey Jasper?" I asked, turning around quickly. He'd started the car and was already backing out of the driveway. His head snapped in my direction.

"What's her name?" He understood who I was referring to without me having to explain.

"Daisy. Daisy Daniels." He said, and drove away quickly with a guilty look on his face. All I could do was stare after him, frozen in shock.

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**AN: Okay, a lot of stuff happened in this chapter, and everything that wasn't explained in this one will be explained in the next one. The next chapter will be from Bella's POV, but the one after that, nr 13 will be from Edward! So keep your panties on for a little while longer! **

**So tell me what you think about this, and if you have any questions at all, just ask and I'll answer! **

**Btw, I'll tell you later what Bella's tattoo's look like, so there is no reason to ask about that :P**

**Review lovelys!**

**-STS-**

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	12. TWELVE

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**I am so sorry! But I just moved to USA and it took some time getting everything set up and stuff. I'm really sorry but I just haven't had the time to write before now. Here it is anyway, and Next chapter is from Edwards POV! **

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Age - 23 - Bella POV

"Aunt Bella! Aunt Bella get up! You've been sleeping for forever!" Alex yelled in my ear, and I pulled the blanked over my face, trying to hide from the destructive 3 year old.

"Go away." I mumbled, pushing his tiny chest away from me. He fell, landing straight on his butt, and I could almost hear the volume of his glare.

I heard his small feet running away from the living room, only to come back a few seconds later. After a few moments of pulling something heavy, some shuffling and grunting on his part, there was silence. _Finally_.

"BODY SLAM!"

"Alex _no_!" Emmett yelled, but he was too late to catch his son as he threw all his weight on top of me, practically landing on my face.

"Ow," I mumbled pathetically, wiggling both of my hands out from underneath the blanked and grabbing onto his ribcage before he could run away and hide.

I pulled him of off my head, sitting him down on my waist instead. His small hands pulled the blanket away from my eyes, so I could see his little round face, grinning from ear to ear, giggling to himself.

"What have I told you about jumping on people? We do _not _jump on people!" Emmett scolded, coming out of the kitchen with a scowl on his face. I could tell that he wanted to laugh though, because his eyes were twinkling with laughter, but he couldn't not discipline his son ether.

"But it's only Aunt Bella, Daddy!" He whined, patting my stomach with his chubby little hand. I tried to hide my smile.

Alex knew he could pretty much get away with murder when it came to me. I was a sucker for the puppy dog eyes, and he took advantage of that fact whenever he could.

"It doesn't matter if it's only Bella. Now say your sorry and come eat the rest of your breakfast before it gets cold." He said, folding both of his hands over his broad chest and looking at his son expectantly.

Emmett was even bigger now, if that was possible, and he'd become a wrestler on the side, to earn some extra money. He did everything so Alex could have nice clothes, cool toys and food on the table. He hardly ever bought or did anything for himself anymore.

"I'm sorry Aunt Bella." He said, trying to look remorseful. I playfully showed him down on my knees and tickled his sides, making him squirm and laugh loudly. I kissed his head before lifting him up and placing him on the floor.

"It's okay, but listen to your dad next time, okay? No jumping on people. It's not nice." He nodded his head before running into the kitchen.

I stretched out my limbs, letting out a huge yawn. That was one way to wake up. This was a good reason why I stopped sleeping over at Emmett's. Because of Alex. While the kid was awesome to hang out with, he was still pretty mean when it came to waking people up. I needed more time in the morning.

I stood up from the couch slowly, and walked into the kitchen were Emmett was making grilled cheese sandwiches. Alex's food was swimming in ketchup, and he had gotten the red sauce all over his face and hands.

"You should try to eat with your mouth, squirt." I commented, grabbing a napkin and wiping off his face.

"Morning Bella." Emmett said with a grin, flipping one of the sandwiches over like a pro. Emmett's cooking was probably the best in the world, maybe even better then Alice's.

"Morning." I mumbled back, taking a bite out of my own food.

"Daddy,"

"Alex."

"Daddy, I was asking you something." He said exasperated, as if Emmett was stupid for not understand that. Emmett grinned, his back still turned.

"Ask away then kid." He said, going over to the fridge and getting a jug of homemade lemonade and pouring each of us a glass.

"Why can't I have brown hair like you and Aunt Bella?" He asked, still consumed with his sandwich. Emmett sighed, glancing over at me before going back to his cooking. Emmett had always been honest with Alex about his mother, so he knew that she'd died when he was very young, and he had a picture of her on his nightstand so he would know who she was.

"Alex, your mommy had blond hair, just like you have. It's a very pretty color." I said, taking a sip of my lemonade.

His little face scrunched up in concentration.

"But I want to have brown hair, like daddy." He insisted.

"We'll talk about dying it when your older, kid. You shouldn't worry about something silly like your hair when your only 3." Emmett said lightly, ruffling his hair with his hand and sitting down with us, taking a huge bite out of his breakfast.

"3 and a _half_!" He said loudly, making the both of us roll our eyes.

Alex watched him eating his whole sandwich in two bites with big eyes, and tried to copy him.

"Don't stuff your face like that, you'll only get a tummy ace." Emmett said, grabbing his tiny wrist and slicing his food up in smaller peaces.

"Why are you home today?" I asked, taking another bite out of my food.

"Alex has to go to the dentist today, so I took the day off. I won't go to work until the show starts, and since I have to pick you up as well, I thought you could spend the day with us. I'll drive you to the shop and everything." He said, grabbing some more food for himself.

Emmett still had scars around his wrists, and both of his ankles after the ordeal with Daisy. She'd agreed to pay for all the damages to the house and the medical bills. She wasn't allowed to come within 200 feet of Emmett, and she wasn't allowed to try and contact him in any way.

She'd also had to serve 208 hours of community serves, cleaning the highway as a punishment for killing and stealing that many exotic jellyfishes. The whole zoo had her banned for life from ever entering again. It was a pretty funny trial.

Sure, Daisy was pretty and seemed like the most innocent little girl in the world. She had long blond hair, big blue eyes and a cute little face. She'd come to court dressed up in pink with a pretty little bow in her hair, claiming she had no idea what any of them were talking about.

If it hadn't been for the fact that the zoo had video cameras, she probably wouldn't have gotten the harsh punishment she did.

"Ugh, I really don't want to tattoo this guy. He's a real old sleazebag, and he's been pestering me for weeks, coming into the shop everyday and bothering the fu- um, bothering me." I stumbled, trying not to swear in front of Alex.

"Daddy what's a sleazebag?"

"Someone who's being annoying and rude." Emmett answered, giving me a small glare. I smiled back innocently.

"Can't you just get it over with, or give him over to RayJ or Mark?" He suggested lightly. I gave a huge sigh and shook my head tiredly.

"I've tried, and nothing works. He wants me to do it."

"Can we say hi to Mark and RayJ daddy?" Alex asked, grabbing Emmett's hand and covering it in ketchup.

"Ah, sure, we can stop by and say hi. But we're visiting Nana and Gramps today." He said with a small frown on his face, wiping off his hand with a napkin.

Nana and Gramps, also known as Judy and Jeff, weren't Emmett's favorite people. They were Abby's parents, and sort of… strange. Hell, even Abby didn't like them all that much.

They were filthy rich, and knew it. Both of them were overbearing and just rather annoying. They loved Emmett and Alex to pieces though, so Emmett tried to go over there at least twice a month to keep them off his back.

"But I don't wanna go to Nana and Gramps! They smell weird and always touch my hair. I wanna go with Bella instead." He said loudly, staring over at me with pleading eyes. I looked away from him quickly so he wouldn't real me in with his eyes.

"Well you can't always get what you want, now can you? Their both very exited to see you again. And try not to break anything this time." Emmett muttered, shaking his head at his son.

"Now go get your clothes so we can get dressed, okay?" Alex nodded and jumped down from his chair, running out of the kitchen and up the stairs to his own bedroom.

"I swear that kid is breaking more things then you and I used to do put together." Emmett muttered, taking all of our plates and putting them in the sink before he started to wash them.

"Hey Emmett, guess who I met up with last night."

"Who? And if you say the Easter bunny I'll give you a soapy beard." He threatened, and I grinned at him.

"Nope, Jasper Whitlock, Edward Masen's best friend. And you want to hear another interesting thing? Edward works at the hospital here in Orlando." I said excitedly.

To think I could actually meet up with Edward again was… indescribable. It had been five years, and he was dating someone crazy, and of course I wasn't crushing on the guy anymore. I didn't know him anymore. At all. But, it would be nice to catch up and maybe even warn him about Daisy.

"Really? Now that, I wasn't expecting. Are you going to meet up with him?" He asked, continuing with the dishes. I didn't offer to help him, because I knew he wouldn't let me.

"I don't know. Don't you think that would be a little weird? _'Hi Edward, I haven't seen you for five years, but I heard you working here and_ wanted to _see you, and I promise I'm not a stalker!_' Yeah, I don't think that would go over too well." I mumbled, feeling a little dejected. I decided not to mention Daisy, mainly because it always put Emmett in a bad mood. This was suppose to be a good day, and I wanted it to stay that way.

"Can't you just pretend that you're there seeing Carlisle, and just happen to run into him? It could work." It wasn't a half bad idea, but I'd still know that I was kind of stalking him it would just be weird.

"Nah, I don't think so. He's probably forgotten about me anyway. For all I know he could be mad at me for leaving all those years ago too. I think I'll just leave him alone." I muttered, realizing that it would just be stupid of me to even try to run into him.

"Suit yourself, but I don't think It'll be too long before you go running off to the hospital. You wouldn't be wearing that ring around your neck if you still didn't have a teeny tiny crush on the guy, no matter how much you might deny it." He said, grinning over at me devilishly. I snorted in a very un lady like way, crossing my arms over my chest. I was only wearing one of Emmett's T-shirts that worked like a dress for me. It stopped right above my knees.

"Aunt Bella, can you help me put my clothes on?" Alex asked from the doorway. He'd tried to dress himself, and his shorts were on backwards and his t-shirt was stuck on his head. I laughed lightly and stood, picking him up as I walked out of the kitchen. I turned him upside down, making him squeal and grab onto my hips.

"You're getting heavy Alex! Have you been working out with your dad?" I asked him, laying him down on the couch. His cheeks were red and his eyes were bright, and rolled around in the blanket that still laid their.

"Yup! Daddy's been taking me to the gym with him. He says I'm a chick magnet." He said proudly, and I almost choked on my own spit before I started laughing hysterically. Those words just shouldn't come from a three year old.

"I bet you are." I said, still giggling as I tried to calm myself down some. I helped him pull off the white T-shirt, that, surprise surprise, had spiderman on it, before slipping it back on again.

"These pants feel weird." Alex said, scrunching his face up in discomfort.

"Well, it might help if you put them on the right way." I said, pulling them down his skinny, tan legs. The kid spent more time outside then an animal. Always running around and doing something. Normally that something ended up being illegal or unsafe, or just plain stupid.

"No go get your shoes." I told him after I'd buttoned up his little jeans.

I went into Emmett's bedroom where I had some of my clothes in one of his drawers. I pulled out some underwear and an old t-shirt that I'd cut, so it stopped right underneath my breasts. I picked out a pair of denim shorts from the drawer too before closing it and going into the bathroom to change.

It had taken us a week to get the stink out of Emmett's room, and all of us had been living in the RV while the workers and cleaners came and fixed up the house, all paid for by a certain Daisy Daniels. Or her dad, whichever you prefer.

"Aunt Bella, where are you?" Alex yelled, running into Emmett's room and ripping the door to the bathroom open. I shrieked and grabbed the T-shirt from the toilet seat, covering up my bare chest.

"What are _those_?!" He yelled, even louder. And I closed my eyes, mortified. I did not want to have this talk with my nephew. Ever.

"Alex, honey, please go ask your dad to put your shoes on. I really want to take a shower, okay?" I asked him sweetly, not knowing if I should laugh my ass off or be embarrassed. He was only tree, for crying out loud! Still, the situation was kind of funny, and I found myself biting my lip to keep from laugh aloud.

He nodded his head slowly, his eyes still wide as he stared at my now covered chest in wonder. He ran out of the bathroom, yelling for Emmett.

I busted out laughing as soon as I closed, and locked, the bathroom door, letting the T-shirt drop as I jumped into the shower, letting the hot water fall down my back.

Poor kid, when he got older and understood what happened, he would probably have nightmares. I know I would if I saw _my _aunt naked. At least I would have something to tease him about later in life. Hopefully in front of one of his girlfriends.

"Mind telling me what just happened?" Emmett asked me when I got out of the bathroom, clean and with makeup on. I still didn't use more then I found necessary.

I picked up my converse from the hall and sat down on the couch beside him. He was ready to leave, he even had the car keys in his hand.

"I was about to get in the shower when my darling little nephew came hurdling through the door. He now know what boobs look like." I said with a laugh, making Emmett snort and chuckle. He stood up slowly, stretching his arms above his head and touching the roof, letting out a huge yawn.

"Hey Spiderman, we're leaving without you if you don't come downstairs!" Emmett yelled, walking towards the door. Alex hurried down the stairs as fast as his little feet could carry him, before sprinting out the door in front of us.

Emmett strapped Alex into the backseat, and we both got into the car and started driving to the dentist.

"Why don't you have bags, Daddy?" Alex asked suddenly. He'd forgotten his Gameboy at home, apparently.

"Bags?" Emmett asked, glancing at his son in the rear view mirror with a confused look on his face.

"Bags, like Aunt Bella's got!" He said, frustrated.

"Bags? What- Oh! You mean breasts… Um, well, that's only something girls have, buddy." Emmett tried to explain, scratching his head slightly. I toyed with my lip ring as I tried not to laugh. We really needed to socialize the kid with more children his own age.

"Why?"

"Well, because girls and boys are just different like that. You know like you have a pee pee? Girls down have that, and you won't get breasts." Emmett said, trying to educate his kid at least some.

"You don't think that's a little too much information for a three year old?" I asked him with raised eyebrows as I turned around to see my nephews confused expression.

"Nah, I saw it in a movie once. And I'm not going to be one of those parents who lie to their kids. If he's got a question, I want him to know that he can come to me and get a straight answer," He said with a shrug.

"Well as long as you saw it in a _movie_…" I teased, earning a shove from him.

"Hey! No shoving, it's not nice." Alex protested.

"I'm sorry Bella," Emmett said sarcastically, patting my head roughly. I poked my tongue out at him as he parked the car outside the dentists office.

"Come on, kiddo! If you're good, you'll get a cool little toy from the dentist!" Emmett said excitedly, slinging his kid onto his shoulders, making him laugh loudly. A woman who was parked beside us stared at me with open disgust, shaking her head at my clothes. I didn't get the big deal. This is Florida, for crying out loud! I rolled my eyes at her and hurried after Emmett.

"Wow, I can see the whole world up here!" He said, grabbing two fistfuls of Emmett's curly locks.

"Watch your head," I warned as the automatic doors opened and Emmett had to bend down so Alex wouldn't get hurt.

"Alexander Carlisle McCarthy?" An old nurse asked as we were about to sit down.

"That's us Spiderman. Are you ready?" Emmett asked, reaching up to pluck his kid off his shoulders. He put him under his arm and carried him into the dentists office like a football, making him giggle like crazy.

I picked up a magazine, ignoring all the parents that glared at me and their kids who were staring in open wonder, and started to read an article about how you can get your plastic plants to smell lemony fresh. I only had real plants at the loft, so this really wasn't a problem for me, but it would take my mind of off Edward.

Maybe I should call him? If he's still such good friends with Jasper, the I'm pretty sure the stripper already told him about me. What if he thought I was being rude if I _didn't _call him? Although, I could just call Jasper and ask if he wanted to go out for drinks, and maybe Edward would just tag along…

But then again he might just bring Daisy along and that wouldn't end well if I met up with her-

My thoughts were cut short by a long, agonized scream that made all the other kids in the room clutch on to their parents in fright.

There was some commotion going on in there, and something made of glass broke. _Sounds like my nephew alright_. I stood up and walked over to the door, opening it and peering in at the scene.

Alex was scowling at the dentist, who was bleeding heavily from his finger, and Emmett was yelling at Alex, trying hard not to laugh at something. The light that was used to light into the patients mouth was broken beyond repair, shards of glass hanging from the lamp.

"Apologize!" Emmett demanded, pointing at the poor man who was clutching his bleeding hand. Bet he wished he'd picket another profession right about now.

"No! He was goanna put a finger in me!" Alex yelled back, just as loudly. I closed the door and walked back to my seat quickly, pulling the magazine up to cover my face as I tried to laugh as silently as possible.

"Mom, I don't want to go in there!" A fat little girl said, clutching her equally fat mothers arm. She shushed her daughter, shaking her head at her.

"Don't worry." She said, going back to reading her book and ignoring her child. The girl still looked scared though, glancing back at the door every few seconds.

The door opened a few moments later, a scowling Alexander walking out with his hands folded over his tiny chest with Emmett walking out after him, wearing the same scowl. It was almost comical to watch.

"What happened in there?" I asked as we drove out of the parking lot, Emmett clutching the steering wheal tightly. All of us had the bad habit of not talking when we got angry, so Alex wasn't saying a word to ether of us.

"_Alexander_-" Emmett started, and he only ever used his full name when he was really mad, "Decided that he didn't want to be examined by the dentist and bit his finger, and he kicked the lamp so it shattered. Now I'm stuck with a bill, that I can't pay!" He ranted, banging his hand on the wheal, making the horn honk.

"He was putting his icky finger in my mouth daddy!" Alex protested loudly from the backseat.

"We use _words _when we're mad, we do _not_ bite people!" Emmett yelled back at him, his voice booming.

"You're a dumbass." Alex said snidely, crossing both of his hands over his chest again, glaring out the window. Emmett parked the car outside the tattoo shop, and got out of his seat angrily. He stomped over and almost ripped Alex's door off its hinges, making him cringe back into his seat. Even though he knew that Emmett would never lay a finger on him, he still tried to get away. He would be foolish not to be scared of a pissed of Emmett.

"You do _not_, talk to me like that. _Ever_." Emmett said in a low, dark voice, showing that he was really serious. Alex looked down at his lap, making his blond curls fall into his eyes as he fidgeted with his fingers.

"I'm sorry, Daddy." He whispered, glancing up at Emmett's still angry face. I got out of my seat and leaned against the car, looking away from them.

"Don't let it happen again. Are you going to behave for the rest of the day?" He asked him, his voice still stern. Alex nodded, looking up at me for help. I had to look away again, knowing that I would do whatever he asked me to do.

"Yep, I promise." He said, giving Emmett a small, timid smile. Emmett grinned back at him, taking off his seat belt and helping him out of the car.

"Good. Now get in there and say hi before we go to Nana and Gramps house." Alex nodded and ran into the shop, already talking loudly with ether Mark or RayJ.

"Damn kid just lost me 160 dollars!" Emmett cursed, kicking the wheal of his car. I placed a hand on his huge arm, giving him a small smile.

"He didn't mean to, and you know that. Besides, going over to Judy and Jeff's place must be punishment enough as it is." I said with a laugh, walking past some teenagers that hung out in front of the Skating shop that was right beside mine, and they looked me up and down like I was some kind of peace of meat.

"If you stare any longer your dicks might just fall off." Emmett growled angrily, taking his frustration out on them. All of them looked away quickly, not wanting to fight with probably one of the biggest people they'd ever seen up close.

"What's up Bella?" RayJ asked as soon as I walked into the store. He was standing behind the front desk, talking with Alex who was sitting on it, his short feet hanging off the counter.

RayJ came from Jamaica, originally, and was your typical rastafarian. He was also one of my closest friends, second to Alice with Emmett being the closest one. We'd met in New York at a tattoo convention, our booths being placed beside each others, and we'd hit it off right away. He was the first person I'd called as soon as it was confirmed that I was opening up my own shop.

"Not much, you know, same old same old. Playing with my nephew, wrestling an alligator, nothing much." I said with a grin, sitting down on the couch in the waiting room. The shop was tiny, well lit and full of paintings and other type of art work we'd collected over the years. I would like to get a bigger place, some day, but this was all I could afford at the time, and I loved it.

Mark came out from the backroom with a client, disposing of his gloves. That meant the guy he'd just tattooed had gotten one of his private parts done.

Mark was… okay. He was the silent, brooding artist type that no one really had any kind of relationship with. He worked for me, and that was pretty much all I knew about him. He was a damn good artist though, and he was nice towards the clients, so I wasn't about to complain about him. He was older then both RayJ and myself. Besides, Alex loved him for some reason.

"Hi Mark!" He said excitedly. Waving his tiny hand back and fourth. Marks eyes tightened slightly around the corners, and his smile got strained.

"Hello Alex." He said, his voice already tired. RayJ chuckled, bumping fists with Alex.

"Don't worry, Mark my man, the kid is leaving soon. Visitin his relatives, no?" RayJ asked, a small smile playing at his handsome face.

"I don't like Nana, she always wants me to sit in her lap _all_ the time. I'm not a baby!" Alex said loudly, making newly inked guy jump.

"Of course you aren't." Mark muttered as the guy paid up and hurried out of there, walking with a slight limp.

"Buddy, we need to leave now." Emmett said, coming over to the counter.

"But we just got here!" Alex protested, staring up at his dad with a pout. Emmett grinned back at him, before picking him up and slinging him over his shoulder. Alex shrieked loudly, giggling as he pounded on Emmett's back.

"Call when your done with the appointment, alright?" He said, grabbing both of Alex's ankles and holding him upside down with one hand, making Alex laugh even louder.

"Don't drop me daddy!" He yelled, flailing his arms around.

"I will, you guys have fun. And don't break Nana's windows!" I called after them as they walked out the door, both of them laughing loudly, and scaring some of the people out on the street.

"I love that little one." Said RayJ, continuing to work at a drawing of a pinup girl. She was dressed like a sailor, her huge boobs almost falling out of her tiny shirt while she held on to a beer bottle.

"Are you scared?" RayJ asked me, only glancing up for a moment before he continued on with his drawing.

"For the guy who's coming in? Yeah, terrified. I don't want to touch his butt. Old, wrinkled and probably hairy, and smelly and nasty and-"

"Okay, alright! We get it." Mark said, rolling his eyes as he walked past us and fell into the couch.

"I just spent the last two hours tattooing some guys penis. No one here should complain about anything!" He complained, throwing a hand over his eyes.

"People now a days, why would anyone want to make their penis look like a snake? Seriously, what's wrong with them?"

"I think it's the pop culture these days." I said, trying to keep a straight face.

"Don't be a wise ass, kid." He muttered, rubbing his eyes tiredly.

"Well, I was talking about the alligator. Dexter can be one mean fellow. Are you nervous?" RayJ asked, grinning as he drew up the end of her hair. I shrugged my shoulders, pulling out the drawing that I'd made ready for Mr. Mote, who was coming any minute now. It was a portrait of Holly from the Playboy Mansion, and it was big enough to cover his whole butt cheek. The guy had to be around sixty. It was disgusting.

"Not really. Emmett's been doing this for eight years now, and he's only ever been bitten once. What's the chance of me being bitten this one time that I try? Alice said it was cool anyway so I honestly don't see the big deal." And I wasn't lying ether. Whatever happened would happen, so there was no reason to go around being scared all the time beforehand. Besides, no one was making me do this. I wanted to do it.

"Ah, but you never know," RayJ commented, still concentrating.

"No, I don't, but Alice does, and that's good enough for me." I said with a smile, which dropped as soon as the bell above the door jingled. I heard his throat clearing, and I looked up to see him wearing the normal Hawaiian shirt and khaki shorts.

"Hello Mr. Mote." I said, trying to give him a smile. It probably just looked like I was smelling something bad. _Ew, I'd have to touch that nasty, old_ _wrinkly body…._ I shuddered slightly, and RayJ shoved his elbow in my side, making me scowl at him.

"Isabella. Do you have her ready?" He asked me, rubbing his hands together gleefully. I bit the inside of my cheek and nodded, making him follow me into the backroom.

"I was wondering if I could have it on my thigh, facing me instead? I'd like for her to watch when I-"

"Yeah! Okay, I'll get her to watch, just please, no need to explain." I said quickly, not wanting the mental picture that was already invading my mind.

It took me two hours to do the whole portrait, and he talked throughout the whole session, complaining about his grandchildren, his dead wife, his neighbor, the president, the government, cats, the police, the color green, pants, my clothes, or lack therefore as he put it, and finally, when I wiped off the tattoo and put a bandage on it, he stopped talking.

"That was painful. I've been told by others that you're very gentle. I have to disagree." He huffed, jumping down from the table and walking, more like strutting, out the door towards the counter where Mark explained to him how to take care of it. I cleaned the work space up while Mr. Mote paid for everything.

"I swear, next time someone like that comes in, I'll take his walking stick and break it over his head or something!" I said, motioning with my hands violently.

RayJ only smiled brightly at me and handed me a cigarette from his pocket, which I snatched out of his hand and grabbed a lighter before walking out of the shop and sitting on the few steps that led down to the pavement. I put it between my lips and lit it up, taking a quick drag and letting out a long sigh of contentment.

I could feel all the tension leave my body as the nicotine worked its way into my system. I only smoked whenever I got stressed out, or worked too much. So I basically smoke all the time. There was always this restless feeling in the back of my head, and it never fully went away. But, smoking silenced it for a short while, and that was better then being full of tension throughout the day, and sometimes night.

Emmett hated it, and I wasn't allowed to even have cigarettes in my purse when I came to their house, just in case Alex found them. Of course the kid knew that I smoked, but Emmett still didn't want that stuff in the house.

"That's a bad habit, you know." A voice said from beside me, and I glanced up to see one of the teens from the skating store stand in front of me. He was handsome, probably around 18, and he held a skateboard under his arm. I blew the smoke down, before taking another long drag from the cigarette.

"So is walking up to strangers and talking to them," I commented, pushing some hair out of my eyes. He had a cap on, but I could still see some brown hair sticking out underneath it.

"True enough." He muttered, his cheeks getting a little pink.

"Do you work here?" He asked me, when I didn't say anything else. I just wanted him to go away, because he was starting to get a little annoying.

"I own the place." I answered, taking another long drag. This kid was just building up on my stress. What was the point in having a smoke if someone was annoying you? I'd just have to get a new one later.

"Wow, you don't look old enough. I thought maybe your boyfriend owned it or something. You know, the big one with all the tattoos and the little kid." He said, and I stood up, and since I was standing on the stairs, I towered over him some.

"First of all, that was my brother and my nephew, second, I'm 23, plenty old to run this business." I snapped, taking another drag and blowing it out my nose.

"Is he bothering you?" Emmett's voice came from the sidewalk, and Alex came running around the guy, clutching my legs and looking up at him with curious eyes.

"Nope, he was just leaving." I said, razing my eyebrows and silently daring him to disagree. He nodded his head and gave me a mischievous smile, letting his eyes trail over my body slowly before skating back overt to his friends again. It made me wish I'd worn more clothes today, but it was just too damn hot outside.

"Daddy, Aunt Bella is smoking!" Alex tattled, and my eyes widened, realizing what would happen.

"No!" I yelled, stepping away from my nephew and running down the stairs, past all the teens that hung out outside the skating store, taking as many drags as I could while I was at it. I'd almost smoked the whole thing before Emmett caught me, ripping the cigarette out of my hand and stomping it on the ground.

He grabbed me around the waist and lifted me up on his shoulder without an effort, carrying me back towards my store caveman style. All the teens outside the skating shop snickered and laughed at me as Emmett waltz past them as if I wasn't hanging like a dead cow of one of his shoulders.

"Now was that really necessary?" I asked Alex as Emmett put me down on the stairs, scowling at me slightly. The little brat only giggled, snuggling up to my side and giving my mid section a hug. I put my arm around his little body, looking up at Emmett.

"We want you to stop smoking Bella. You could get cancer and die or something. Seriously, stop it. Right now." Emmett said, not a hint of humor on his face.

"Your no fun anymore, _dad_. I swear, sometimes you're worse then Alice. And that's saying something." I muttered, poking Alice in the ribs. He squealed slightly, and poked me back, making me jump.

"Everything can't be fun all the time, Bella." He muttered, rubbing a tired hand over his eyes before giving the two of us a small smile.

"Now, are you ready to go to the zoo? Esme is waiting for us." Emmett said, helping me stand up. Alex was about to burst into the store but I laid a hand on his shoulder, stopping him.

"You can't scare Mark or RayJ right now, okay? They're both with clients so you need to be quiet. Go get my purse behind the counter and walk out again. No bothering anyone." I told him, and his little shoulders slumped as he hurried into the shop, almost falling a few times.

"How was Judy and Jeff?" I asked, sitting back down on the steps again.

"Tiring, as always. Wondered if they could bring Alex on a cruise trip for two months. I told them he had kindergarten and needed to stay with me, but they said I could come to. I swear, their getting dumber every time I meet them." He muttered, clamping a hand over his eyes. I put my hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort him.

"Do you want a cigarette?" I offered him, trying to bite back a smile.

"So fucking bad." He whispered, cracking a smile himself. Abby had gotten him to stop smoking, claiming it was bad for the baby, even while it was in her stomach, to even be around smokers. And Emmett, not wanting to be a bad father or boyfriend, agreed, and he hadn't had a cigarette in a little over 4 years.

"Ah, don't be stupid. Of course you don't want one." I muttered, just as Alex walked out the door, holding my gray purse with both hands.

"Where is Roxanne? She's not in her cage!" Alex complained. I had one huge cage for her in my office, for when I had to pull some long hours at the shop. I'd worked especially hard after I'd broken up with Tony. I'd much rather work, then think.

"She's having a sleepover at Aunt Alice. I think she's staying in your room." Alice had decorated a whole room, and a bathroom for Alex, so he always had a place to sleep whenever he came over to visit. He even had a bed shaped like a car, with Spiderman painted on the walls.

"Okay then. I really wanted to play with her." He said, leaning on my back and putting his tiny head on top of mine.

"You'll get to play with her soon, don't worry about that. Now come on! I'm going to wrestle an alligator!" I said loudly, grabbing both of his wrists and pulling him up so he was hanging on my back.

"Bye guys!" I yelled into the store, and I saw RayJ wave and grin excitedly.

"Grandma said I would get Ice cream as soon as we got there, she promised me!" Alex whispered in my ear, loud enough for Emmett to hear, but I don't think he intended for that to happen.

"Oh yeah? What kind will you get?" I asked him as I strapped him into the back, buckling him up and getting into my own seat.

"I think chocolate, or maybe strawberry. What kinda ice cream do you like best Daddy?"

"Hmm, I don't know squirt. There are a lot of yummy ice creams out there. But I think I'll go with vanilla." He said, smiling at Alex in the rear view mirror.

"Then I'm getting vanilla." Alex answered, nodding to himself. Everything that Emmett did, he did. They even had the same hair cut, and Emmett often found him in his closet, trying on his clothes, or stealing his shoes, which he could probably fit his whole leg in if he tried.

It only took us twenty minutes to get to the zoo, and we passed Bobs shop on the way there, but I didn't see Rosalie. Maybe she was done for the day. It was starting to get late. Luckily, the zoo was open late on Saturdays, and they offered night shows that attracted even more tourists. You could have a date by the dolphins, or maybe even the sea lions.

We drove through the gates, which was kind of cool as people were waiting in line to get in and just cruised past them.

We stopped the car and parked with the other zoo keepers, greeting some of them as we walked over to the golf carts that would bring us to the Alligators Den, as it was called. It took us about ten minutes to navigate through all the fat people around here. Was vegetables dead or something? Seriously, they should learn to start eating some.

Esme was standing outside the bolted door, waiting for our arrival.

She was in her early forties now, but she still looked way younger then she really was. She'd gotten a few gray streaks of hair, but other then that she was still as beautiful as ever. She grinned when she saw Alex, who ran up to her and threw his arms around her neck.

"Can we go get ice cream now, Grandma, can we? Nana wouldn't let me have any candy at all!" He complained as she shifted his weight, holding him on her hip instead.

"Lets get Aunt Bella backstage first, so Daddy can show her what to do, alright? We'll go get some ice cream right before the show starts, I promise." She answered him, kissing his cheek lovingly.

Esme had never had her own child, so she and Carlisle had decided to adopt children instead. It turned out that Alice wasn't the first child they'd taken in. Even Emmett had lived with them for a few months until he turned eighteen. It was right after his dad shot his mom.

"Come on then! Daddy won't let me have any sweets at all in the week! He says it's bad for my teeth!" He complained as we walked into the cold, moist room. There was a bridge over the Alligators inside pool, and some of the alligators were laying there, sleeping, or lurking. Emmett's main responsibility was Dexter and Bubble, but he also had to help the other zoo keepers look after the other Alligators and Salt water crocodiles. He earned a lot more now though then he did when he first started working here.

"The show starts in ten minutes, so Alex and I will be standing up with the rest of the crowd, filming you guys. Carlisle couldn't make it today. Some new intern at the hospital is destroying everything he touches, poor dear. And Alice couldn't make it ether, she was held up at the office with some paper work." She explained quickly, writing something down on a clipboard hanging on the wall and checking a few buckets, with Alex still attached to her hip. She was like some kind of jungle woman.

"That blows. But at least they'll see the tape." I said with a shrug, not too concerned. Sure, I'd like for the both of them to be here, but it wasn't anything I could do about it now.

"Good luck Bella." Esme said, giving me a quick hug. Alex hugged me tightly too, giving me a sloppy kiss on the cheek.

"Be careful Aunt Bella. They are wild animals." Alex warned me, sounding like a mini Emmett. I gave him a warm smile, ruffling his hair.

"I'll be fine, squirt, just be there to cheer me on and I'll be just fine." I promised him, waiving as he and Esme exited the room, talking about their choice of Ice cream.

"Are you sure you want to do this, Bella? There is no shame in backing out."

"Do birds fly?" He sighed, shaking his head and grabbing my hand, dragging me out towards the stage where Dexter and Bubble were already laying. This pool was separate from the other ones, so the zoo keepers could put all the animals in this shallow pool when the other one needed cleaning. And, it worked on he shows when they needed to know how many beasts they were dealing with at a time.

Emmett explained everything I were to do, and everything I couldn't do, and what were to happen if I by any chance got bitten.

"Ready?" He asked as they announced on the speakers that the alligator show would start in a few moments, which meant they were basically just waiting for us to get the fuck out on the stage. I slipped Edwards ring, and the chain it was hanging on deep into my shorts pocket where I knew it would be safe.

"Ready as I'll ever be," I said excitedly, running past him out on stage and waving up at my nephew. Finally, I'd get to wrestle an alligator.

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**AN: NEXT CHAPTER FROM EDWARDS POV!!!!!!!!!**

**Review? :D**


	13. THIRTEEN

**Just want everyone to know that I've been working on this chapter ever since I realized the last chapter. As in I started the minute it was out there! JUST because I know everyone are dying to know about Edward, and you've all been so patient and much too good to me :) **

**HERE HE IS! (EDWARD MASEN!) **

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Age - 23 - Edward POV

"Eddie!" I cringed at the harsh voice that barked my name. I straightened up from my hunched over position and rearranged my face as I turned around to face Satan. I mean my boss.

"It's Edward, Dr. Snow." I mumbled, glancing down at my glowed hands before looking up at him through my lashes.

Dr. Snow was a tall man with a constant frown on his face. He didn't like anyone, and nobody really liked him ether. Many years of hard work and stress had thinned out his hair, making his ears look enormous. I could not for the life of me understand how a woman like Mrs. Snow would ever be interested in him at all. Not that she was a walk in the park to talk to ether.

"How long have you been on Morgue duty?" He snapped, ignoring my comment.

"Three weeks now, sir." I answered, glancing at the old dead lady laying on the table, naked behind me. I frowned before looking back at his sour expression.

"Do you think you could handle working in the ER again?" He asked me, crossing his long arms over his skinny chest.

"Yes sir, I honestly believe that I'm ready for it."

"How can I know that you wont mess everything up, like all the other times I've taken you off Morgue duty?"

"Well, I can't really promise you that nothings going to happen sir, but I honestly am doing the best that I can." I told him. I was about to drag my hand through my hair but stopped myself just in time. The last thing I wanted was dead lady in my hair.

"This is your last chance, Masen. Don't you dare mess up this time. Your daddy could be the president for all I care, you will not make a fool of my hospital again. Is that understood?" He growled, glaring at me as if I'd just smashed his car into a ditch.

"Yes sir."

"Good. Now get up there and help Dr. Cullen with his round. I'm sure he wouldn't mind an extra hand." There was no secret in the hospital that Dr. Cullen and Dr. Snow hated each others guts. The only difference was that everyone loved Dr. Cullen and no one, in the whole place, could stand Dr. Snow and his pompous ass.

I slipped of the rubber glows and shoved the old lady back into the wall. Washing dead people all day wasn't exactly what I pictured being a doctor would be like.

Not that I even wanted to become a doctor to being with.

Right after High School my dad pretty much stuffed me into the first medical school he could find. I kept silent and went with it. How could I tell my parents that I wanted to be a bartender, or own my own restaurant or pub? They would be devastated. So, I played along.

I was at the top of all my classes, because remembering stuff has always been easy for me. And practicing on dead cats wasn't really all that hard. But being an intern at an actual hospital with real people that could die if you did something wrong… Well, that was a whole new story.

I went from being at the top of my class to the worst of all the interns. I'm pretty sure I was the worst intern they'd ever had at this hospital.

I couldn't give someone a shot for the life of me. I actually managed to break someone's finger while bandaging up their foot. I dropped an old man on the floor, and I lost some guys toe.

And that's not even half of the things I've done at this hospital.

I felt bad for Carlisle as I saw his face fall when I walked towards him. It wasn't that he didn't like me. It was just five times the normal amount of work to have me around. The only people who kept me sane throughout these five past years is Jasper and Rosalie. And now Daisy too, of course.

"I'm sorry Carlisle. Dr. Snow stuck me with you. I'll try to stay out of the way as much as possible." I told him as soon as I stopped in front of him. I put my elbow at the front desk and managed to take down all the medical charts, making one of them fly at Carlisle and spill all his coffee all over his new scrubs.

There was a long silence where everyone in the ER looked over at the commotion I'd made.

"Edward is off Morgue duty!" Patty yelled from the front desk, glaring at me and earning a collection of groans from the other inters, and doctors.

I gave her an apologetic look as I squatted down and started picking up all the charts.

"I'm sorry Carlisle, I really am. Shit, I didn't mean to do that at all." I apologized, feeling my cheeks burning with embarrassment. I couldn't do anything without making some sort of mess of it.

Carlisle chuckled and put the coffee cup down at the desk.

"You know what Edward, it's my fault, I should know better by now than to have Coffee around you." He teased me, clapping a hand on my shoulder as I placed all the charts on the desk.

"Come on, lets do the rounds. Lets try observing today, shall we?" He suggested lightly, and we started walking towards the first patient, that would probably end up as my victim in one way or another.

We spent the whole day visiting different patients. Some guy hadn't been to the bathroom for over two weeks, and that was a pretty nasty job to put it lightly.

A little girl had swallowed three tampons, so we had to get those out of her. And than there was the old homeless guy who claimed his dog was inside his foot.

"You did well today Edward, you didn't even mess up once." Carlisle praised me as we took a short coffee break in the staff room. The place was empty now, with most of the interns out on the floor with the other doctors.

"That's because I didn't touch anything." I muttered, annoyed with myself. Carlisle really did mean an observing day.

"Can I ask you something Edward?" Carlisle asked after a short while of silence. I nodded my head and sipped some more coffee out of my mug.

"Why did you want to become a doctor?"

"I never did. Its ether this or becoming a lawyer, so I chose this."

"How come you only have those two choices?" He asked, confused. I frowned down at my cup before glancing over at him.

"Because of my parents. That's pretty much what they've wanted for me my whole life. It would crush them if I decided to do something else. Besides, the medical field isn't too bad." I tried to get myself to think that for years now, but I always knew that I was lying to myself. I hated it. I'd always hated it and I would probably hate it for the rest of my life as well.

"That's not a very good reason. Edward, your 23 years old. You can't let your parents run your life anymore. This is your life you know, and you only ever do get one shot at it. Don't you want to make the best of it, while you still can? What do you really want to do?" He asked me. It wasn't hard to see that he saw right through me. Carlisle was just like that. There was no point in lying to the man, but it was better then actually admitting the truth.

"What I really want to do is irrelevant. I've worked hard for this, and I'm not giving up on it. We should probably get back to work." I muttered, uncomfortable. Maybe if life was perfect, it would be possible to actually become whatever you wanted, and do whatever you pleased. And for some people, that was probably true. But it wasn't my life, and I would be foolish to make myself think that it ever would be.

"Just think about it Edward. I can tell that your not happy here."

"Happiness doesn't put food on the table." I muttered, too low for him to hear as we walked back to the ER.

"Dr. Cullen! Ambulance nr 13 is coming in from the Zoo. Someone got bitten by an alligator while doing a show. Make room number 207 ready now. We'll need blood." Nurse Andrews yelled from the other side of the ER. She was standing by the door, ready to receive the new patient from the ambulance.

Carlisle made a quick scan of the floor before he cursed under his breath.

"I guess it's just you and me Edward. Everyone else seems to be busy. I need you to focus Edward, this is very important. You _can't _screw this up." He told me with the most serious expression I've ever seen on his face. Even in his mid forties, he hardly had any wrinkles.

I gave him a quick nod as we started to walk towards room 207, and I tried not to let it show just how nervous I was. My palms were sweating and I could feel perspiration form on my forehead. I wiped it off quickly with the back of my sleeve.

"You can do this Edward." I muttered to myself as I helped Carlisle set everything up for the new patient. What kind of dumbass wrestled with alligators for fun anyway?

"Male, 27 years old, 6'5. Got a leg injury while wrestling a crocodile." One of the newest interns stuttered as he read of the chart while the other people wheeled in one of the biggest men I've ever seen in real life. He wasn't fat by any means. He was pure muscle, and he was wearing a zoo keepers uniform, the same kind Esme Cullen always wore whenever she came in after work.

The man was currently breathing hard through his nose with the most furious expression on his face. I had to make myself move forward to help Carlisle. This guy just looked plain scary. It also didn't help considering his arms were covered in tattoos, as were his legs.

"Emmett, how the hell did you get bitten?!" Carlisle exclaimed, and I was surprised to hear the older man swear.

"Protecting my baby sis, I swear to every single porn magazine in the world I'm going to fucking kill Alice. And it's a god damn Alligator you fucking fruit fly!" He yelled at the intern, squeezing his eyes shut as his leg was moved.

"Don't mind him Derek. Who bit you?" Carlisle asked calmly as he started working. I just handed him everything he would need, afraid that I would upset this Emmett character too. I did not want to be on the other end of his wrath.

"Fucking Dexter. I told everyone, over and over again that he's been acting like a spoiled brat lately. But no, nobody wants to listen to the guy who actually works with him every single fucking day, for eight years! That would just be stupid- WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!" He yelled, flinching violently as Carlisle gave him a shot close to his wound.

"It's for the pain, Emmett. Now hold still. I swear, your own son isn't even this bad when he gets his shots." Carlisle muttered as he started to dab away some of the blood, and I made everything ready for him on a neat little table. It felt good not to be totally useless.

"Edward, do you think you could manage to hook him up to an IV? And he'll need a blood transfusion. All his medical information is on his chart if you forget anything." Carlisle reminded me, and I nodded my head while trying to swallow back the bile that rose in my throat. This guy would probably kill me if I made one mistake.

"Edward?" Emmett said, swinging his head around too look at me. Now that I got a closer look at his face, there was something very familiar about him, but I couldn't place where. Maybe I'd seen him at the zoo before…

"As in Edward Masen?" He asked, his eyes scanning over my face. He smiled suddenly, and it was almost disturbing to see the contrast between his furious face and the one I was looking at now, with dimples and everything.

"It is you!" He said before I could ever open my mouth. I felt my eyebrows furrow in confusion. He grabbed my hand and shook it hard, making my whole frame shake.

"I recognize you from the pictures she draws sometimes. She thinks she's so cleaver at hiding them but its not hard to find when you first look." He said, grinning up at me as if he just hadn't had a huge chunk of his leg inside an alligators mouth.

"Who are you talking about?" I asked, confused.

"Bella Swan of course, she's my baby sister, or cousin really." My hand flew up to my neck, where I used to have the chain with her ring on it. It was in my locker here at work now, because Daisy didn't want me thinking about other women. But I could understand that.

I had worn it for four years, up until I started dating her. But she was right, there was no point in hanging on to the past. It was stupid. Just like I am most of the time.

"Ah, I see you wear that damn ring around your neck too. Bella still wears hers all the time. Never takes it off. I didn't even know you guys exchanged rings. You should have gotten together a long time ago bro." He said with a chuckle, looking up at me instead of over at Carlisle who was stitching up his leg.

I shook my head quickly and walked over to one of the cabinets to get everything I needed.

"I don't wear it anymore. My girlfriend doesn't like it." I said quietly, picking up his hand and trying to remember how to stick it in there.

"Well, Bella is out in the hallway right now, I'm sure she would just _love _to meet you again." He said, wagging his eyebrows and ignoring my comment about my girlfriend.

So she really thought about me still, even after all these years? I would lie if I said that I didn't think about her, almost everyday. I always wondered what she was doing, if she'd gotten a family, if she was married. Did she have kids? Was she seeing anyone? But then I'd feel guilty because I had Daisy, and thoughts like that weren't suppose to run thought your head when you were happy with someone else.

"Maybe I'll stop and say hi to her real quick." I muttered, and concentrated on getting the damn needle into his skin.

"Edward! Stop, you need to wipe off his hand first or else you'll drag all the bacteria from the mud into his bloodstream. Who knows what kind of deceases those animals have?" Carlisle reminded me, and I felt my cheeks flaring up again. Such a rooky mistake, after being here for such a long time.

After six tries, Carlisle finally took over and set the IV on his first try. I apologized over and over, feeling terrible and slightly scared. He waved it off though, gesturing to his arms.

"I wouldn't have gotten all of these if I was scared of a needle." He said with a chuckle, frowning down at his leg. Carlisle still wasn't done stitching him up, and he'd pulled out one long tooth.

"So Emmett, please explain what happened? You've only been bitten once before, and that was hardly serious. How the hell did you end up like this?" Carlisle muttered, his eyes still fixed on his hands.

"Well, Bella and I ran out on stage, and did the opening act with Bubble, everything went fine, cuz you know, it's Bubble and she doesn't move unless it's food involved. Dexter was out in the water, and Bella came out with me to look for him. She bumped into him with her foot, and he was about to take a bite out of her midsection so I jumped in between them before anything could happen to her. Luckily it was only my thigh." He said, looking at the blood that was seeping into his veins slowly from the tube.

"Alex saw everything though. Scared him to death." He said quietly, looking down at his sheets but not really seeing them.

"How old is he?" I asked him.

"He's three. And a half." He said with a small laugh, shaking his head slightly.

"Edward, why don't you go get Bella and Alex? They should be out in the lobby." Carlisle said with a smile, grabbing a new white sheet and covering most of Emmett's bloody body. It looked a lot worse then it really was, but I'm pretty sure a three year old wouldn't understand that.

"Sure." I muttered, taking a deep breath before I walked out of there. I stopped to see what I looked like in one of the bathrooms before Bella saw me. My hair was a mess, but it had been that way my entire life, so that wasn't anything new. I wished that I had time to shave, because I was sporting a very unattractive five o'clock shadow on my chin. That's what Daisy meant anyway. She hated facial hair.

I felt guilty then, thinking about her. Why the hell would it matter how I looked in front of Bella? I had Daisy, and we were very happy together. Bella was a part of my past. A very pleasant part, but the past anyway. I'd probably meet up with her today and then never see her again, unless she came back to the hospital.

"Come on Edward, man up." I mumbled, squaring my shoulders and walking out of there with my head held high.

I spotted her before she saw me, my eyes drawing to her figure of their own accord. It was as if her whole form was a magnet, drawing me helplessly towards her. And there was nothing I could do to stop it. Not that I wanted to.

"Bella Swan?" I spoke quietly, because I was standing right behind her short form. She was holding a small child close to her chest, and he was crying, his tiny shoulders shaking violently as she tried to sooth him.

She turned around quickly, her brown eyes just as big and lovely as always. She hadn't changed much at all, but I could tell that she was a completely different person too. She was covered in tattoos, pretty much from head to toe. And I could tell because she was hardly wearing any clothes at all.

If anything, she only looked lovelier.

I wanted to smack myself for thinking like that.

_You have Daisy for fuck sake!_

"Edward?" It came out as a question, but her whole face lit up and her eyes scanned over my face quickly, as if trying to take in as much of me as she possibly could. She did it in much of the same way her cousin just had.

"Hi." I said lamely, making her grin even wider. She shifted the little kid over to her side and gave me a strong hug, and it was as if a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders as I held her in my arms again.

My mind was screaming at me that this was wrong, that I already had a perfectly perfect girlfriend at home, but I couldn't deny just how right it felt to hold her again. There was a strange sensation of peace coming over me as I felt her petite frame press flush against me. It was like being eighteen and back in that trailer all over again.

I let go of her reluctantly, and looked down at the small child in her arms.

"And you must be Alex. Your dad's been talking a lot about you. I hear you're three and a half?" He nodded his head slowly, staring up at me with huge dark eyes that were rimmed with red from crying.

"Well you're in luck then Alex, because every little boy who is three and a half gets a lollypop today." I said, fishing out a candy from my pocket and handing it over to him with a warm smile. He smiled back at me slightly and took it from my hand gently, saying a small thank you before hiding his face in Bella's neck again.

"You've changed… so much. But in a good way, I like it. Especially the whole stubble thing you've got going now." She said with a teasing grin, letting her knuckles grace over my chin slowly. I suppressed closing my eyes and leaning into her touch in pleasure.

"And you've hardly changed at all. You're still as beaut- you still look good, Bella." I told her, clearing my throat awkwardly.

_Daisy, Daisy, Daisy, Daisy… I'm the worst boyfriend in the world. _

"Now, Emmett wants to see you." I said, turning around and walking towards room 207 again, not letting her see my flustered face. You'd think that five years later I'd be able to have a full conversation with the woman without sporting a boner and a red face. But sadly, I was mistaken.

"Is Daddy going to be okay?" Alex asked in a small voice, glancing up at me through Bella's mahogany hair. I tried looking away from her as much as possible, because the little amount of clothes she was wearing was very distracting.

"He is going to be just fine." I told him reassuringly, knowing with confidence that at least this was true. I might not be good at what I do, but I was pretty damn sure that he'd be out of the hospital in less than a week.

"Now what did I tell you squirt? I told you daddy was going to be fine. He's a tough cookie, just like you." Bella told him, poking his side slightly.

"I don't like Dexter anymore." Alex muttered, pulling away to look up at Bella. He looked a lot like Emmett, except his hair was a golden blond, much like Jasper and Rosalie's hair color. They didn't have the same nose ether, but other then that they were almost identical. They even had the same haircut. I wondered briefly where the mother was and why she wasn't here to take care of their son.

"It's not Dexter's fault honey, you shouldn't be mad at him. Daddy isn't mad at him." Bella told him, glancing up at me with a small smile. I looked away quickly, embarrassed at being caught staring. I held the door open for them as they walked into the room where Carlisle and Emmett where talking about something.

"Spiderman!" Emmett said loudly, holding his arms out for his son. Alex practically jumped from Bella's arms and on the bed over to his dad, making Bella stumble backwards and falling into my chest. I caught her right before she fell, both of my hands wrapped around her tiny, warm shoulders.

"Sorry," She muttered, blushing as she straightened up quickly. I let go of her shoulders, crossing my arms tightly over my chest to keep them from grabbing on to her. _What the hell is wrong with me? I haven't seen her for five years and I'm acting like I've been madly in love with her for ages. I need to get out of my High School mind. I'm a grown man for crying out loud! Think about daisy!_

"You need to be careful Alex, Dexter bit your dad pretty hard. You can't sit on him for a while, okay? And you need to stop jumping on people. It's not nice." Carlisle scolded lightly.

"I'm sorry grandpa. Are you okay daddy?" He asked sweetly, staring up at his dad with huge eyes. Emmett smiled down at him and nodded, lifting the blanket away from his thigh to show him the stitches.

"I'm fine, it left a pretty cool scar though, didn't it? And, look what Grandpa found in my thigh!" Emmett said, holding up the long tooth. Alex stared at it with morbid fascination, as well as his dads mutilated leg.

"Can I get a scar too?" He asked, looking up at Carlisle, who I would have never guessed in a million years was a grandfather, with determination. Carlisle laughed, pulling out some bandage from a drawer.

"No, you can't. But if Dexter ever bites you when you get older, I promise I'll be the one to stitch you up." He said with a wink, before he started to bandage up Emmett's leg.

"Do you want Bella to make this into a necklace for you? You can tell everyone about it then," Emmett suggested lightly, holding the tooth up for his son to see. Alex nodded his head quickly, looking back at Bella who was being abnormally silent. She always used to have something to say about, well, anything.

She snapped out of her little daze when she heard her name, smiling over at her nephew. It was so strange to see her like this. All happy and calm. She used to be so intense before. Not that I didn't like this side of her, it was just very unusual. And it reminded me about how much I really didn't know her anymore.

"I'll take it with me to the shop and fix it up for you tomorrow," She promised, walking over and lifting him off the bed so Carlisle could wrap the final bandage around.

"What type of shop?" I hadn't realized that I'd spoken before the words were out of my mouth. She looked over at me, surprised with a hint of her old smirk on her pretty face.

"A tattoo shop, actually." She said with a shrug, putting Alex down so he could walk around by himself. He ran over to the skeleton and started poking at it with open curiosity.

"Please don't-" Carlisle's words were cut off by a loud bang. The skeleton was laying on the floor, most of it broken, sending white dust around the room. Emmett sighed and closed his eyes, shaking his head and fighting back a smile.

"That's my son for yah… Alex, please don't touch anything else. Daddy already has to pay the hospital for the window that you broke last time you were here. Apologize to grandpa." Emmett said in a tired voice, glaring at the small boy who was wringing his hands and not looking at anyone.

"I'm sorry Grandpa." He muttered, not even looking up to see his grandfathers reaction.

"It's okay, Alex, but please, don't touch anything else. I swear, you beat Edward by a long shot when it comes to breaking things."

"_You _break stuff?" Bella blurted out, astonished. I nodded quickly before sending Carlisle a small glare that he missed.

"Edward, why don't you take Bella and Alex to the cafeteria? It can be your time off while I get Emmett set up in his room."

"How long will I need to stay?" Emmett asked, concerned.

"A week." Carlisle answered, apologetically.

"I can't leave my son alone for a whole week. He's only three years old!" He exclaimed, gesturing towards Alex who was busy fitting both of his arms into one glow.

"Three and a _half_!" He muttered, glaring up at his dad.

"Don't worry about it Emmett, I'll take care of him." Bella offered, putting a hand on his shoulder with a small smile on her face. I tore my eyes away from her form before my staring got creepy. They always seemed to find their place on her face every few seconds.

"Bella you work from 6 am to midnight everyday, your pretty much full booked for the next few weeks. Taking care of a kid takes time." He muttered, dragging a bloody palm over his face and through his hair tiredly.

"I'll take time off then when he needs me, and I'll take him into the shop after kindergarten. Look, we'll discuss this later. Right now you need to worry about filling out boring forms while Edward and I take Alex to get some food." I should not get a warm fuzzy feeling inside when she says _Edward and I. Its wrong I tell you, wrong!_

"Um, I'm still on call though, so maybe I should just-"

"I'm sure you'd be of more help with Bella then you would with me. No offence Edward." Carlisle said, gesturing to all the IV needles I'd tried to use, and the huge mess I'd made. I nodded my head slowly.

"I'll get one of the nurses to come clean up the skeleton." I mumbled, walking out of there with Bella and Alex following after a quick goodbye with Carlisle and Emmett.

"The cafeteria is this way, Edward." Bella said, gesturing to the huge sign that said Cafeteria on it.

"Oh, right, I was in my own thoughts, sorry."

"It's okay. I was actually going to ask you if you wanted to go and grab a cup of coffee someday soon, but I guess this is as good of a time as any." She said with a teasing smile, making it hard for me to swallow. I pulled on my scrubs slightly. Was it hot in here?

"Look, Bella, I'm sort of dating someone right now, and-"

"Edward, I'm asking you to have coffee with me, not sex in the fucking park or something. I just want to catch up with you, talk about the good old days where I used to give you bruises and you used to tattle on me." She said with raised eyebrows as we sat down at a table, where we had clear view of Alex playing with some cars a few feet away.

I blushed, looking down at my hands. I didn't dare look up at her face.

"I know that. It's just, I have a girlfriend, and she tends to get slightly jealous sometimes… She doesn't like it when I talk to other women." I said slowly, trying to explain Daisy to her in the simplest way possible. She raised her eyebrows at me, leaning back in her seat and crossing her arms right underneath her chest. Her top was brown and her hair had tried mud in it after being in the swamp with freaking alligators. It was such a Bella thing to do, and I liked it just as much now as I did when I was a stupid teenager.

"It's pretty fucking amazing, that just because the last time we saw each other we were almost ripping each others clothes of, you seem to think, that five long years later, I want to pick up right where we left of, as if I've been thinking about _you _and only you for the past five years." She said sharply, her eyes turning into catlike slits.

The comment stung more then it should have, but I told myself that it was only lust. Bella was fucking gorgeous. Only a blind person would disagree to that. And Daisy said she'd been tired lately, and I've been pulling long shifts at the hospital, so we didn't have much time for, um, nighttime activities anymore. _I'm just stressed up, that's all…_

"I didn't mean it like that Bella. She just really doesn't like it when I talk to other women, no matter how harmless it is. I know Daisy, and I know she wouldn't like me talking to you." I said quietly, gazing at Alex who was crashing two cars into each other loudly, making many heads turn. Bella didn't seem to care much about the noise, or else she chose to ignore it.

"Your girlfriend is insane." It came out as a statement. I felt both my eyebrows shoot up under my bangs. She'd always been blunt, but never this openly judgmental. In fact, she used to be the most open minded person I knew.

"_Excuse _me? You don't even know who she is!" I protested, glaring at her.

"Daisy Daniels, right? Blond hair, petite woman with a beauty mark right under her left eye?" She asked, her old smirk making a reappearance.

I felt my eyes bug out slightly. She sighed loudly and uncrossed her arms, laying her head in one of her hands as she gazed at me with her big, brown doe eyes.

"I met up with Jasper after he was done working last night. He told me you were dating a Daisy Daniels. I figured it was her, because only you could attract someone as psychotic as her."

"There is nothing wrong with Daisy! I love her, and we have a great life together. I might have cared what you thought about her before, but you really don't know me, or her well enough to be able to come out with something like that. In fact, you don't know me at all. Like you said, I've changed." I hissed at her, more upset then necessary, probably.

"Did she tell you about her past?" She asked me, her features blank.

"I don't know what your talking about."

"Did you notice Emmett's wrists? It's kind of hard not to, isn't it? The scars are really deep." She said in a thoughtful voice, looking at her nephew with watchful eyes.

Now that she mentioned it, I had noticed his wrists. It wasn't hard to tell that he'd had rough stitches on his wrists before. It was possible to tell even if you weren't a doctor.

"I don't see how that's got anything to do with Daisy." I snapped, crossing my arms over my chest childishly. This was not how I would picture my first encounter with Bella Swan to be like. _She's gorgeous when she's angry… Stop it!_

"She's the one who made them. They dated for about, oh, five years ago? Emmett wanted to break up and she didn't. She trashed his whole house and covered his body with exotic, and venomous jellyfish. He laid in the same bed for three days before a friend of mine and I arrived there to release him. She tied him to the bed and left him there without food, water or any way to get help." She finished, tracing an invisible pattern with her finger on the table.

"Why are you telling me all this?" I knew she wouldn't lie about something like this. I mean, what could she gain out of that? Bella wasn't one to lie about serious things. Sure, I'd seen her steal at the local grocery store a few times when we were younger, but there was a rumor going around school saying that her parents didn't give her food, so I always pretended that I didn't see it. She'd lie about it if anyone asked or accused her though.

Jasper hadn't mentioned her to me when he got home from work last night, but then again he's always tired when he gets home from a late night. I don't understand why he can't clean peoples houses in the middle of the day instead of at night, but Rosalie and I knew better then to meddle in his business. We'd tried once before and lets just say neither of us wanted to go through that drama again.

"I wasn't planning on meeting up with you at all actually, and if it hadn't been for Emmett landing his ass in the ER, I wouldn't have contacted Jasper ether, even though he asked me to. I realize now that it would be cruel of me not to warn you about her. I'm telling you this because I don't want you to get hurt. I wouldn't wish her wrath upon my worst enemy, least of all you. Just be careful around her, who knows, maybe she's changed. Even though I highly doubt that." She said in a low voice, not meeting my gaze.

"I… I don't know what to say." My head felt completely blank. I would never have guessed in a million years that my sweet, innocent little Daisy could be capable of something like that.

"Please tell me this is just one of your jokes?" I muttered, dragging a tired hand though my hair.

"So you believe me then?" She asked, sounding surprised.

"Of course I believe you… I saw the scars and I know that you wouldn't lie to me about something like this. I can just tell with you. Besides, what would you gain out of lying about Daisy?" It was a rhetorical question, and I looked out the window, staring at the flowers right outside the cafeteria.

"What are you going to do about it?" She asked, and I looked back at her angelic face to find her biting her lip hesitantly, staring at me though her lashes. It was so strange, seeing Bella Swan shy and quiet like this.

"I don't know yet. Probably go home and talk to her about it. I'm not breaking up with her without getting the whole story first. She deserves to be able to defend herself." I told her gently. How come this felt like I was turning her down?

"Now that she does. It was five years ago. I'm just saying, be careful. I'd be surprised if you broke up with her right away actually." She muttered, glancing over at Alex again.

"How come?"

"Because you're just too nice." She said with a slight smile, tossing her muddy hair over one of her shoulders. It was drying up and making her hair into a knotty lump.

"Thanks, I guess… Let's talk about something else. I don't want to fight with you." I said, straightening up in my seat. In one way, I was happy that she told me about it, but on the other hand I would have liked to have heard it from Daisy herself, and not have it as a first topic of conversation with a long lost… _friend_.

Bella gave me a grin, straightening up herself. She put both of her tattoo covered arms flat out on the table, her rings making small twinkling sounds as metal came in contact with wood.

"Sounds like a good idea. I just want to say that I wanted to get it out in the open. Now, what do you want to talk about?" She asked me, her eyes glinting mischievously, just like they always did back when we were teens.

"What happened to you, after you left I mean? Where did you go? What did you do with your life?"

"Well, I had a sex change, so I now have a penis-"

"I'm sorry, what?" I asked, almost choking on air. What the hell?!

"I'm kidding Edward, relax. You should have seen your face though, I thought your eyes were goanna pop out of your head." She said, her laughter carrying out trough the cafeteria. I hadn't realized just how many people were in here, or how many of the guys were looking over at her. It irritated me, probably more then it should have.

"Very funny." I said dryly, even though I had to smile. It was such a Bella thing to say. Turns out all of her hadn't changed after all.

"After I left, I picked up a girl named Alice. We went down to Vegas for a few days before we went down to see Emmett. She's in the FBI. That's kind of how I met Jasper." She said, scratching her shoulder slightly.

"Jasper's involved with the FBI?" I asked, shocked. He never mentioned anything like that to me, or Rosalie as far as I knew.

"No, of course not. There was a lady's night thing going on yesterday, and Jasper was the entertainment. I met up with him after the show, and he gave Alice and I a ride home. I must say, he's changed for the better. That is _not _how I pictured Jasper Whitlock to turn out." She said, pretending to fan herself. I had to beat down the green monster inside me with a baseball bat. _You have Daisy_.

"But Jasper was working last night…" I said, confused.

"I know, he was working at Alice's boss house. He was the entertainment." She said, looking at me as if I was the strange one.

"Jasper cleans people's houses for a living." I stated slowly.

"Jasper was the male stripper, and I think _that's _what he does for a living." She said in the same tone of voice, and I felt my eyes widen again from shock. My eyes were probably going to fall out of my skull if I kept this up.

"That makes more sense then you can ever imagine." I muttered, slapping a hand on my forehead.

No wonder I always shredded his pants when I borrowed them! And every time we used to do our laundry together he'd always have male thongs. I thought maybe it was some sort of fetish thing he got going on but now it made perfect sense. All the costumes, the dancing he'd do in his room when he thought no one was home. I figured he was secretly gay or something, but a male stripper? That never even crossed my mind.

I gave her a wide grin.

"You have no idea what kind of blackmail you just handed over to me." I said, giving a fake, evil laugh. She chuckled with me, shaking her head.

"I can't believe you didn't know that your friend was a stripper. Don't you guys live together or something?"

"Nah, we all used to live together in a small apartment, but I moved out about a year ago. It was tiny anyway." I left out the part that Daisy wanted me to move out so we could have some privacy whenever she came over. It didn't really seem like the right thing to mention.

"I see. Well, he is a very talented stripper, that's for damn sure." She said with a laugh, banging her hand on the table for good measure.

"What about you?"

"What about me?"

"What do you do for a living since you work from 6am to midnight everyday. Except for this day?" The day that I just so happened to be working the day shift and not the night shift.

"I own a tattoo shop now. It takes up a lot of time. I always take the Sundays of though. Most of the time…well, except for the last five Sundays. It normally doesn't take that much time for most people."

"Then how come you spend so much time at your shop?" Did she even have a life besides her work?

"I like tattooing, and I want to please my customers, so I work hard to make everything perfect, and then it's the bills on the side, and orders, and washing the place and before you know it the day is over. I don't know, it's just very time consuming. But I love it, and it's my first place." She said with a small smile, shrugging. I don't know a lot of people who would willingly work that much just to please a bunch of people she'd probably never see again.

"That's very admirable." I told her, making her blush.

"Not really. Their pretty much going to be stuck with a peace of my art work for the rest of their lives. The least I could do is to make it as perfect as possible."

"I think most people would look at it as thanking the artist for taking their time to actually give them a piece of their art work. Not the other way around. But then again you've never looked at things like the rest of the world does." I said with a smile, giving Alex a quick glance, just to make sure that he was still okay.

"Have you been living here all these years?" I asked her, after a moment of silence.

"I just moved back to open the shop, actually. And to be closer to Emmett and Alice. I've kind of been living on the road for the past five years, just going to the next big city and all that. I guess you could say that I lived in the RV." She said with a laugh, pulling some dried mud out of her hair, letting the dust fall on the table.

"Did you enjoy it?"

"Very much. I've been to every single state in the whole U.S now, and Canada. I've met a lot of interesting people and made a lot of friends."

"How come you settled down?" Maybe she had a boyfriend she hadn't told Emmett about? _That wouldn't matter, because you have Daisy and officially the worst boyfriend of the year award_.

"I haven't, I'm just saving up money for a while. I'm planning on moving to Europe, or maybe Asia to learn new ways of tattooing. I'm not sure yet, because I haven't really thought about it too much. Emmett and Alice doesn't even know that I've been thinking about it. I don't even know why I'm telling you this." She muttered, playing with one of the rings on her fingers.

"It sounds interesting, and like something you would do. I think you should go for it." I told her with a smile. I felt something like a pang in my chest when I said it though, and my smile seemed forced.

"Aunt Bella!" Alex yelled, flailing his arms as he ran towards our table.

"What?" Bella asked him, turning her body towards him. He was covered in mud too, and one of the ladies two tables down frowned at us.

"I just figured something out!" He said happily, crawling up into her lap, sitting down and facing me. They sort of looked like each other.

"What did you figure out?" She asked, picking some mud out of his hair as she talked. She sort of looked like a mother, in a strange way. _I wonder if she wants kids some day._

"That I'm hungry again. I need some food, or else I'll get crabby just like daddy does when he doesn't get food." He said matter of factly, making me grin down at him.

"Well, we'll just have to get you some food then, huh?" I said, standing up and grabbing his tiny hand as he jumped off her lap again.

"You just have to!" He said seriously, looking up at me with his huge eyes. It was easy to tell that he would break many hearts when he grew up.

"Don't worry about it Edward, I'll pay for it." Bella said when she came up behind me, pulling out her worn out wallet, that also was covered in mud, out of her tiny pocket. I'd grabbed him a sandwich and some OJ and placed it on a tray.

"Its my treat. Look at it as an apology for my behavior earlier today. I'm sorry for being so rude, and assuming like that…" I said, scratching my neck as I paid the lunch lady before we went back to the table in silence.

Alex crawled up in the seat beside Bella, saying a quick thank you before he dug in, taking huge bites out of his food.

"Alex don't eat like a caveman." Bella muttered, opening his juice.

"But daddy eats like this." He answered, taking another big bite out of it, almost breaking his jaw with the way he chewed.

"My point exactly, now take smaller bites before you hurt yourself." She said with a chuckle, glancing up at me.

"Apology excepted. If I were to apologize for ever time I did, or said something mean to you we'd probably be gray by the time I was done."

"Probably." I agreed, laughing with her. My cell phone vibrated in my pocket, and I pulled it out quickly, flipping it open.

_Daisy - Buy me dinner._

I gave a sigh and quickly texed her back, saying that I'd pick some up on the way home.

I didn't really understand why she couldn't pick some up herself, since she didn't work at the time, but I'd stopped asking that question a long time ago.

"Edward!" Someone yelled behind me, and I felt my blood run cold as I recognized the voice of doctor Snow.

"I can't seem to remember that this is your lunch break." He said snidely, walking at a brisk pace towards us.

"Um, Dr. Cullen told me to stay here with Miss Swan while he worked on a Mr. McCarthy. This is his son and he wanted me to keep them company," I told him truthfully.

"I'm sure miss Swan is perfectly capable of taking care of this young boy herself. Now-"

"Would you happen to be married to a Mrs. Becky Snow? Works for the FBI?" Bella broke in, placing her folded hands neatly at the table, looking up at Dr. Snow through her lashes. She really didn't know how much he hated it when people interrupted him.

"Yes?" He answered her, with less annoyance then I expected.

"Well, it's just, I was at the party she had at home yesterday, and I just want to say that your house looks amazing. I was just telling Edward about the party yesterday, and the entertainment." I tried to tell her to shut up with my eyes, but I also recognized the gleam in them. She was up to something. The fact that she was kissing ass like there was no tomorrow was proof enough of that.

"Thank you. What kind of, entertainment, was there, if you don't mind me asking?" He said, looking slightly flustered for some reason.

"Oh, just a stripper, but then again it was a lady's night, so I'm sure Becky told you all about it." Bella said, waving it away as if it was no big deal. Dr. Snow looked absolutely livid, but he managed to control it and give us both a tight lipped smile before he excused himself and marched out of there, pulling his cell phone out of his pocked as he went.

"What's a stripper?" I jumped at the question, almost forgetting that Alex was even there. He'd been very quiet trough his whole meal, but Bella didn't look to disturbed by it.

"It's a dancer, now drink your juice." She told him, pulling out a napkin that she handed to him.

"Can I be a stripper?" He asked her, ignoring her remark. He stared up at her with hopeful eyes.

"Sure." She said shrugging.

"Bella!" I exclaimed, shocked.

"What? He's not my kid!" She said, defensively.

"Besides, I saw it in a movie once." She said, smiling at some sort of private joke.

"Don't you want to become something cool instead? Like a firefighter, or a police officer?" I asked him, trying to make him forget. The kid was three years old! I sent Bella a small glare. She poked her pierced tongue out at me in return. That one was new.

"Nah, I don't like the poh poh." He said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"The poh poh?" I asked, confused. He rolled his eyes at me as if I was the dumbest person in the world.

"The police!" He exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air, exasperated.

"Aha." I answered, looking at Bella with raised eyebrows as she looked anywhere but at me. I knew for a fact that she hated the police. She knew all the officers by first name in Forks, and they'd all held a big party when she left town.

"His ears are bigger then an elephants." She muttered, crossing her arms over her chest, pouting her already red, pouty lips. I chuckled, shaking my head at her.

"You might have changed a lot, Bella, but your still the same anyway."

"Thanks, I guess." She said, frowning slightly.

"I wanna be a stripper, and that's the end of that discussion!" Alex said loudly, slurping the rest of his juice down.

"It's what Emmett always says," She stage whispered, poking Alex in the side of his stomach, making him squirt some of the juice out his nose.

"Aha," I shook my head at her slightly. It still hadn't fully registered that I was actually talking to Bella Swan again. _Thee _Bella Swan.

My pager went off then, and I glanced down to see that it was Carlisle, asking if I could bring Bella and Alex up to room 2594 at the third floor.

"They've found a room for him. Come on." I motioned for them to follow me, leaving Alex's mess at the table behind us. The kid ran up behind me and grabbed my hand, looking up at me with his big, dark eyes.

"When is Daddy coming home?"

"In a week, probably." I told him, squeezing his chubby little hand lightly. He looked back at the ground before glancing up at me again.

"I don't want to stay with Aunt Bella, she can't make food!" He stage whispered, glancing back at his Aunt to find her scowling down at him.

"My food is fine! You just need to ad ketchup to it," She defended herself.

"You ad ketchup to everything you make?" I asked aloud, even though it was something that I was suppose to only question in my mind.

"It takes the flavor out of it. He's right, I can't cook to save my own life." She muttered, shaking her head at herself. I smiled at her before we entered Emmett's room. He was lucky, because he didn't have to share with anyone.

"Daddy!" Alex yelled, running towards the bed. He crawled up into the chair that was placed beside the hospital bed, standing to be able to give his father a hug.

"Edward said you had to be here for a week. Can I stay here too? Please?" He pleaded, staring up at Emmett with huge, doe eyes. It was not a face I could have denied.

Emmett smiled down at him before he picked him up, placing him on his other leg.

"Now why would you want to stay at a smelly old Hospital, when you can stay with Aunt Alice and John?" He asked teasingly. Alex laid his head on his chest, draping both of his arms out. He didn't even reach across his chest.

"Because John is stupid, and Aunt Alice only wants to play games. She never lets me do anything!" He complained, his voice muffled by his dads t shirt. Bella moved past me, sitting down in the chair beside the bed. I busied myself with studying his medical chart.

"You mean she wont let you break any of her things? You know that Aunt Alice has a lot of nice things, of course she doesn't want you to break them," Bella said, pushing some of his hair out of his face. It was a simple gesture, but I could tell that she loved him a lot.

"You can't stay here with me squirt. It's not a place for young children, and its going to be really boring. Besides, you have kindergarten tomorrow morning. I've already talked to Aunt Alice and she's very excited for you to come over." Emmett explained, rubbing his back soothingly as his son started to cry.

"But I've never been gone from you that long!" He wailed loudly, big angry tears rolling down his cheeks.

"You'll see me everyday! Promise! Daddy just needs to get better before he can come home, alright?" Emmett said, laughing lightly while squeezing the little boy closer to him. It was like looking at a giant with a tiny towns person being crushed.

"I need to get going… I promised RayJ I'd meet up with him for drinks tonight. Do you want me to drop Spiderman of at Alice's house?" Bella asked, biting her lip ring nervously and avoiding eye contact with me. Who the _hell _was RayJ? I felt my eyes narrow as I kept on reading the medical chart, trying to mind my own business. So far the only thing I could remember reading was the patients name. _Emmett McCarthy_.

"Carlisle can probably drop him off. He can stay here with me for a few more hours. You go ahead and have fun. Oh, and tell RayJ that the whole Alligator wrestling match is caught on tape, so he can watch it later," Emmett muttered, trying to get Alex to stop crying.

"Alright, sounds good. Again, sorry you almost got your leg amputated because of me. Next tattoo is on me, and I'll fix the one he sliced open." Bella said with a laugh, standing up and kissing both Emmett and Alex on their cheeks. Emmett grinned up at her, and his hand stopped rubbing his sons back for a moment.

"I want you to do my back." He said with a devilish grin that was disturbingly like the one Bella wore whenever she knew she was making trouble or doing something wrong.

Bella groaned loudly and stomped her foot, throwing her head back in exasperation.

"Fine! You just gave me a shit load of work Em! The design alone is going to take me a whole day, if not more, and then there is the actual tattoo! It's going to take so many sessions!" She cried, gripping her muddy hair in frustration.

"You don't even know what I want yet!" He answered, laughing.

"I do too, and it's not easy. Theirs going to be so many details."

"You love detailed pictures."

"I have a shit load of work to do."

"Well, maybe you should have thought about that before you landed my ass in the hospital. Do my back and I'll forgive you. And I won't complain about you smoking, as long as you do it outside." Emmett told her with authority ringing in his voice. _Bella smokes now?_

"Alright, fine. I need to go. Edward, it was nice seeing you again. I'll probably see you around if I'm ever visiting Emmett or Carlisle. Bye everyone!" She said as she walked backwards out the door, waving with a smile on her face before she turned and walked out of the hospital room before anyone could say anything.

"Too bad you got yourself a girlfriend man, she could need someone calm like you around." Emmett muttered, glancing up at me before looking back down at his son, hugging him tightly to him, as if he was a small child holding a teddy bear.

"I'll go get some toys for Alex." I said, walking out of the room without answering his comment. What was I suppose to say? Suppose to _do_? Just drop everything in my hands because the one that got away just suddenly showed up? Just dump my girlfriend, who hadn't done anything wrong towards me by any means, because my fantasy just came shining brightly, covered in mud, back into the picture? I don't think so. Besides, she was probably dating that RayJ guy. What kind of stupid name is RayJ anyway? _I bet he's ugly_.

Who was I kidding? He'd be fucking perfect, with a lot of money, nice job, probably a cool motorcycle, a sweet apartment, or a big house and he's got the most perfect girl hanging of his arm.

I hated him already.

It's strange, how you always picture an event happening in your mind. You picture it so often, almost every day, for years, that you just don't think that it could happen any other way, because you'd probably pictured that way too.

And then it actually does happen, and it goes by so quickly that you didn't even realize that it was happening right there, right in front of you, until its over, and you sit back and wonder what the hell just happened. I still couldn't wrap my head around the idea that I'd met up with Bella Swan today. I had pictured it so many times, over and over again.

I would have never predicted that this was how it was going to go down.

The heavy feeling that always clouded my body was gone though, strangely enough.

It's a tough sensation to explain, but it feels like someone is giving you a huge bucket of water, that your not allowed to put down on the ground. You get a new one each year, and the burden is just hanging off your shoulders, dragging you and your mood down, making you tired and miserable while the rest of the world moves on without so much as blinking at you and your heavy load.

I got the first bucket handed to me on the 13th of September.

And for the first time in five years, they were all gone.

* * *

**AN: Can't believe I finally got that chapter out there! Phew, took forever if you ask me! Now, I'm planning for the next few chapters to be in Edwards POV, but I could also have it in Bella's POV, because that could also work out for where the story is headed. **

**Since its fine with me ether way, I'm going to let you guys chose, (even tho I have a pretty strong gut feeling on who your going to pick *Cough*Edward*Cough*) but I could be wrong! **

**So! Big question is!**

**Edwards POV,**

**OR**

**Bella's POV ? **

**Review! :D**


	14. FOURTEEN

**I couldn't decide on Edward POV or Bella POV, so I did both to make all of you happy :D  
**

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Age - 23 - Edward POV

"I have to work late tonight babe, one of the other interns got sick so Dr. Snow asked me to fill in, I couldn't say no considering how many times I've been put on morgue duty, so I'll see you tomorrow morning, hopefully before you have your spa day. Love you, bye!" I said, leaving her a message on her voice mail.

I felt slightly bad about lying to her, but it was a surprise, and she always loved my surprises. Usually. Sometimes. Most of the time…

I walked out of the grocery store, two bags filled to the brim with food that I would cook for us tonight. We'd been drifting apart lately, with me always working and her… going to parties and acting classes or whatever she did when she was at home. We just hadn't been able to spend that much time together lately. And with Bella walking back into my life today was a pretty big wakeup call.

I needed to make things better with Daisy. Even though she didn't know, and probably never would know that I'd had improper thoughts about another woman, I still felt guilty, as if I owed her something. She always loves it when I cook food for her, so I thought this would be a great way to make it up to her, and for the fact that I was never home anymore.

_She'll love it, _I thought with a smile on my face as I drove back to our apartment, hurrying. She was suppose to be home right now, and I wanted to see her, to hold her in my arms and just be with her again. It felt like forever since we'd had a long conversation, about anything.

I walked up the stairs, since the elevator was broken. It had been broken for over six months now, and it didn't look like anyone was going to fix it anytime soon. Not that I minded, we only lived on the fifth floor.

Whenever I wasn't spending time with Daisy, or working, I'd spend time with Jasper and Rosalie, working out or just being with them.

Some people thought it was sad that we were still such good friends after all these years, Daisy included, but the thing was that I couldn't imagine my life without Jasper and Rose. It just wasn't thinkable. I loved the both of them to death.

The only thing I would change about them would probably be that none of them were too fond of Daisy. I think Rosalie's just jealous, because Daisy is gorgeous, and perfect in everyway. Jasper is just, Jasper. I'd stopped questioning him a long time ago about why he did, or didn't like things or people. He was just too damn complicated sometimes.

"Daisy?" I called into the apartment. The TV was on, and there were an extra pair of shoes out in the hallway. Male shoes. I didn't know that she had company…

"Edward?!" She called back, a slightly hysterical note to her voice. I furrowed my eyebrows and put the groceries down on the kitchen counter, walking towards the bathroom where her voice was coming from.

I opened the door, only to find Daisy on her knees, in front of some body builder with his jeans around his ankles. I crossed both of my arms over my chest, staring at her expectantly.

"Oh don't look at me like I'm cheating on you! This is Antonio, he's a friend of mine from my acting class. He spilled boiling water on his thigh, I'm just putting some cream and gauze over it. Besides, he's gay. I might even have to worry about you two having a thing." She said with a twinkling laugh, her blue eyes staring up at me innocently.

"You could have told me about it, sent a text or called." I muttered, walking out of the bathroom and back into the kitchen. I started pulling the groceries out, my brows still furrowed. I didn't like this Antonio guy, and as far as I could tell, he certainly wasn't gay from the looks he was giving her. _He should just quit the acting classes, because they really aren't working. _

"Oh come on Edward, don't be mad. Besides, I thought you'd be working tonight anyway. Are you coming back here to check up on me or something?" She asked, a tint of anger to her tone.

"Of course not, I only told you that because I wanted to surprise you with dinner so we could have a nice evening together. _Just _the two of us." I empathized, staring pointedly at Antonio who was smirking at me from the doorway. Jackass.

"Edward! For crying aloud, he is a guest! Be nice. I'm sorry Antonio," She said earnestly, staring over at him with a sweet smile. She used to only smile at me like that, and the fact that it was directed at some wanna be gay guy, did nothing to lighten my mood.

"It's okay Daisy, it is like, totally understandable. Don't worry Edward, I'm like, totally _not _after your woman." He said, winking at me and giving me a big cheesy grin. It made my stomach turn.

"Sure." I muttered, turning away from them as I started to cook our dinner. I made sure to only make enough for two people.

It didn't escape my notice that his pants were dry.

"How was work honey?" Daisy asked me, smiling brightly up at me as I worked on chopping up the vegetables. I shrugged, still feeling uncomfortable with this Antonio still in the kitchen. I could feel his gaze glued to the back of my head.

"Fine, I met up with an old friend of mine from Washington." I said casually. Daisy was sitting at the table, and she motioned for Antonio to come and sit beside her. I turned away from them again.

"Really? Jasper and Rosalie just isn't enough, huh?" She said with a high pitched giggle. I smiled slightly.

"So what's his name?" She asked when I didn't continue. I'm ashamed to say that I was comparing her laugh to Bella's.

"Um, actually it's a she. Her name is Bella Swan." I said slowly, wondering if she would know who I was talking about. Obviously they'd met before. There was a long silence, and I thought she wasn't going to answer me after a while.

"Antonio, I think you should leave. We'll practice more tomorrow." She said in a shaky voice.

"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow then." He said in what I assume he would think was a low, sexy voice. He sounded like a constipated man to me.

After a few minutes of them whispering in the hallway, the door closed and Daisy's quick and brisk footsteps came marching into the kitchen.

"Why did you meet up with Bella Swan?" She snapped at me, and I turned around to see her normally sweet face contorted with anger, her eyes shooting fireworks. She was almost… _ugly_.

"Because her cousin Emmett got sent to the hospital today. She was watching over his son and Dr. Cullen told me to keep them company. We used to go to school together."

"Wait, why was Emmett in the hospital?"

"That's confidential." I told her, throwing her an apologetic look over my shoulder. If it was possible, steam would be shooting out of her ears at this point.

"Alright then, how old is Emmett's son? Or is there some rule that says you can't tell me that ether?" She growled, pacing the floor, and gripping her arms, something she always did when she was upset.

"He's around three years old. Three and a half actually. Don't know where the mom is, she wasn't there today. Anyway, Bella told me about you and Emmett. I know everything that happened between the two of you, everything you did to him, but I still love you." I told her quickly, turning around and grabbing her arms to stop her from pacing. I stared into her confused eyes. She was searching my face for lies.

"She told you everything?" She whispered. I nodded my head, hugging her to me.

"I think it was wrong, and pretty damn horrible. You could have really hurt him, Daisy. But, I know that you were upset at the time, and you weren't thinking straight. And I know that you would never do anything like that to me," I mumbled into her hair. I was telling her the truth too.

She'd never told me she loved me, but I knew that she did. Whatever she was doing with that Antonio guy, well, I'd like to think that he fooled her into believing he was gay. How could I blame him for that? Daisy is gorgeous, and the only way to even get close to her, seeing as we are dating, is to pretend to be gay. She couldn't help the fact that she was naïve. In fact, that was one of the things I loved about her.

"Of course not. But I don't want you talking to Bella anymore. She was mean to me after the trial. She actually threatened me." _Sounds like Bella alright._

"Daisy all of this happened five years ago. She's changed, a lot. And I'm sure you've changed a lot since then too."

"I still don't want you to talk to her." She said in a sour tone, slipping both of her arms around me.

"That might be a little hard, because Emmett is going to stay there for a week, and she's probably going to visit him pretty often. Don't worry about it, okay? I'm trusting you with this Antonio guy, right? Have some faith in me." I said lightly, kissing the top of her head and letting her go as I turned back to continue on with the dinner.

"I don't like it Edward." She said, crossing her arms over her chest, glaring at me.

"Look, I'm not doing anything wrong here. All of this happened five years ago, and she never did anything wrong towards me. She's still my friend." I told her, my back still turned. Normally I would just give in to whatever she wanted me to do, but I couldn't see myself walking away from Bella and just, not see her again. It just couldn't happen. I might not be crushing on her anymore, but I still wanted her in my life. She'd always been a very important part of my life, and it just wasn't the same without her in it. Bella Swan was staying, and that was the end of that discussion.

"Oh my god, you like her, don't you?" She said, her voice low and full of accusation. I stopped stirring the sauce and turned around to face her.

"Excuse me? I don't know if you've noticed this, but I love _you_, and only you!" I said, raising my voice slightly.

"Then how come your so hell bent on cutting all contact with her? It's not like I'm asking you to do a lot here, just stop talking to her!"

"No, because there is nothing wrong about talking to her. We used to be very close, and-"

"I bet you would just love to get all close and personal with her again, wouldn't you? I've seen her before, and I'm not stupid. She's pretty, and she's dresses like a whore. And you _still _haven't denied the fact that you like her! You can love someone and like someone else Edward, the world isn't black and white!" She yelled, her cheeks turning red. I'd seen her worked up like this before, but it had never been directed at me. I didn't like it.

"Just like you like Antonio then? I'm not stupid ether, Daisy, his pants weren't wet, and he is _not _gay." I told her angrily. I usually never got worked up over anything, and I was surprised at the pure rage that was filling me up.

"Don't you dare change the subject! You're not going to talk to that bitch ever again and that's _final_!" She screeched, stomping her foot like a child. I closed my eyes and took one, deep, calming breath.

"Daisy, I love you, and you know that. You're acting like an irrational child right now, and I think your being unfair. I'm a grown man, and I'm allowed to be friends with whoever I want. Set the table or something, dinner is almost done." I told her calmly, staring at her with leveled eyes.

Hot, angry tears rolled down her cheeks, and that only ever happened when she wasn't getting her way. Her left eye started to twitch slightly, but I don't think she noticed.

"You'll never get anyone who's ever going to be _half _as good as me. All my friends told me I was lowering my standards when I started dating you. I could have anyone I wanted, _anyone_, but I chose you Edward. And now you're cheating on me with some freak with, with _fish hooks _on her face, and tattoos! It's _disgusting_. I don't understand why your doing this to me, what's happening to you?! Your not acting like the Edward I know!" She sobbed, clenching her fists. I felt my eyes widen slightly.

"I never knew that you saw me like that... " I said, surprised and hurt. She just crossed her arms and looked away from me, sticking her nose in the air, the tears still running freely. She ignored them, just like she ignored me.

I scratched the back of my neck awkwardly, not really knowing what to do. What _do _you do when you find out that the one you love thinks she can do better then you? Not the greatest feeling in the world, I'll tell you that much.

"And besides, I'm not cheating on you. I would never do that to you, because I love you. You _know _that. I tell you everyday how much I love you. Stop acting like this, please? Let's just have a nice, quiet dinner together." I said, cupping her cheek and giving her a quick peck on the lips, smiling slightly down at her still unsatisfied face.

I knew that Daisy was out of my league, how could I not? She was perfect, and I was, not. I looked like a rotten flower compared to her. She was sweet, innocent, naïve, compassionate, beautiful. I couldn't see any flaws in her at all.

So how come I still wasn't happy?

**-X-**

Age - 23 - Bella POV 

I was blow drying my hair when RayJ arrived at the door, all dressed up and nice looking. I'd be lying if I said that I hadn't been interested in him when we first met.

He was like a brother to me now though, and he viewed me as his sister. Dating him would be awkward. We'd tried it once, lets just leave it at that.

"Bella, I brought you a flower, with the roots and everything!" He said happily, letting the soil fall all over my already dusty apartment. I didn't have much time to clean it, and Alice had long ago stopped coming over to do it for me, so I was pretty much stuck with the mess until I got a free night like this. Which I was now going to spend getting hammered.

"Thanks RayJ, just put it in the sink or something. I'm sure I'll have to hand it back to Mrs. Pole tomorrow." I said with a grin, knowing he'd only picked it to annoy my neighbor.

She was a woman in her mid forties with pretty young kids. The whole family was part of some religious cult, and they all believed that I was possessed by some sort of demon, and that RayJ and I were planning to make devil babies together. He was night and I was day, apparently.

That's what her kids told me anyway.

"She's still bothering you then?" He asked me, his voice laced with sympathy. He'd dealt with her a few times too, when he'd helped me home after having one too many drinks at the bar.

"Every chance she gets. I swear, she gets up at five just so she can catch me before I go to work. It's getting annoying. If I didn't like this place so much, I'd move." I complained, throwing the towel on the couch when I was done using it. I grabbed some shoes from one of the kitchen cupboards, and plopped down into one of my mismatching, comfy chairs. RayJ fell down on the couch, flinching when he landed on an old box that was laying under a pillow.

"Ever thought of cleaning up after yourself?" He muttered, throwing the box down on the floor, since my table was full of boxes of paint, drawings, some old parts to a tattoo machine and some other tools. I needed to get rid of stuff, because my whole apartment was just full of crap.

"I don't have time to clean anything up. Besides, I know where everything is when it's laid out in the open like this. And, I'm never home anyway except for when I sleep. I don't see the point." I told him with a shrug, slipping into one of my converse. We were just going to a quiet bar, so I was wearing a tank top and some shorts. Comfort over fashion tonight.

"Spiderman Bella, really?" RayJ asked with raised eyebrows, staring at my tank top.

"Alex gave it to me for my birthday last week, don't be mean. Besides, its soft and the only clean shirt I have left. Leave me alone." I mumbled, earning a chuckle from him.

"So, how come you sounded so stressed out on the phone earlier today? Besides Emmett being bitten by Dexter I mean? Your not one to freak out when bad shit happens to people," He commented, lighting up a cigarette that he handed over to me before lighting up another one and taking it for himself.

I took a long drag out of mine, letting the nicotine work its way through my system again, calming my mind down. It didn't help much.

I'd smoked up two packs since I came from the hospital earlier today.

Pulling the chain off from around my neck, I handed it over to him wordlessly. He opened his palm and I dropped the ring and the chain into it, biting my lip ring nervously.

"Edward?" He asked, confused, staring up at through his dreads. They always fell into his eyes. I nodded, taking another long drag, blowing it out slowly through my nose. Again, It did nothing to calm me down.

"He works at the hospital. He's Emmett's doctor. And, he's dating that crazy woman Daisy Daniels." I told him gravely, finding an ashtray underneath one of my drawings. I'd made it from clay myself. It was a cats head, and you dumped the ash into its open mouth, and you could put the cigarette down in its ears. My art teacher hadn't been too happy about it, not that I cared. It looked awesome.

"Who's Daisy again?" He asked, confused. It was a long time since he'd heard about what happened to Emmett.

"The girl who tied Emmett to his bed." I said in a low voice. He gave a whistle, staring at me with big eyes.

"You, my friend, need a drink." He told me, standing up and grabbing my hand. I collected my cell phone and wallet before he pulled me out the door, claiming that I could not go on any longer without alcohol in my system. I chose to ignore the fact that I had to get up at five to work tomorrow morning. Tonight was going to be a fun night.

**-X-**

"I think it's pretty obvious what you need to do." RayJ said when I was done telling him everything that had happened today. Everything from the whole alligator fight, to the meeting with Edward, our little fight, the weird looks he'd been giving me the whole time, how hot he looked, how much I just wanted to rip his clothes off…

RayJ swallowed the rest of his beer, slamming the glass down on the table and motioning for two more from the bartender.

"And what's that?" I asked, my head laying on the table, the alcohol helping me feel sorry for myself.

"Well, its obvious that you still like him, and-"

"I don't like him like that anymore! It's impossible! I don't even know the guy!" I protested loudly, banging my hand at the table beside my head.

"Well you wouldn't be moaning and bitching like this if you didn't like him, so cut the crap. You like him, and you want him. So what you need to do is fuck him to get him out of your system. The reason your still hung up on him, is because you didn't get to fuck him all those years ago. The answer, my friend, is sex. It always is, and always will be." He told me seriously, his dark eyes grave.

"To sex!" I toasted, with my new beer that I hadn't even noticed had arrived.

"To sex!" He answered me, and we downed half of it before putting them back down on the table.

"But really now, I don't think that that's the problem. Because he's got a girlfriend already. Crazy skank that she is. And what the fuck! He's always dated blonds! What's wrong with some brown hair?" I asked him, frustrated. I grabbed some of my own mahogany hair, inspecting it critically.

"Maybe he doesn't like me because I have split ends?" I wondered aloud, pursing my lips.

"I don't think that's it." RayJ answered, leaning back in the booth. This was kind of our place, where we always had our drinks whenever life got a little too stressful or complicated, and we just needed to relax.

"Maybe I should just not visit the hospital at all, and just ignore him. That will be a lot easier for everyone. Emmett never has to know about Daisy, I don't have to worry about Edward, and Alice will feel really guilty about lying and landing Emmett in the hospital, because her little plan didn't work. Take that Alice!" I said loudly, to no one in particular. I knew she could hear me. Meddling, little psychic fairy.

"You don't think she thought it through more then that? Alice is a smart girl, she knows what she's doing. Have some faith man, and drink your beer." RayJ said, his accent becoming more pronounced then usual.

"But its not fair! I was over him, done with him ages ago- I was fine knowing he'd have a great life somewhere in the world, and now I do know, and his life isn't great! Alice just made everything complicated."

"Sometimes complicated can be a good thing. Just go with it, follow your gut feelings. I'm sure you'll make things easier for Alice that way too. And you'll see, in no time, you will have sex."

"How come everything has to be about sex with you?" I muttered, staring up at his drunk face. He gave me a big, cheesy grin, wagging his eyebrows at me.

"Because I'm a man of science, and I believe that the only reason people were created is to have lots of sex and get a shit load of ugly little babies. Who am I to deny Evolution?" He asked, trying to sound smart. He only managed to make me giggle at his stupidity.

"But seriously, don't resist this. And you've never been over him Bella, not really. You know that, and everyone who knows you know that. You're only lying to yourself and us by denying it."

"How can you be so sure about that?" I challenged him, crossing my arms over my chest and leaning back in the booth.

"Because you still draw his face everywhere, and when you can't remember what he looks like, you lock yourself up in your office to try and remember, and you wont come out until you've got it right." He said, and my eyes widened slightly.

Drawing Edwards face had always been a guilty pleasure of mine, even before I realized that I was crushing on him when we still lived in Forks. It always felt like I was doing something wrong though, and I just felt weird about it now, doing it so many years after not seeing him. But RayJ was right.

Sometimes, I couldn't remember the shape of his cheekbones, or how long his jaw would be. I would mess up his nose, and I could not for the life of me draw the right sized forehead. I refused to stop until I got it right. Truth was, I'd always been terrified of forgetting him. He'd been the only real, good thing in my life at the time.

"I need something stronger then Beer." I muttered, making him laugh as I stood up on shaky legs and stumbled my way over to the bar.

"Whiskey on the rocks, please!" I told the bartender, sitting down on one of the bar stools. I spun around once, thinking about how pathetic I've been for the last five years, thinking about some guy who I thought I'd never see again. It was stupid, immature and it made me feel like an idiot. That's the only bad thing about being drunk. It doesn't work when you try to lie to yourself.

"What's a pretty little lady like you doing here all by herself." A low, masculine voice asked, and someone sat down in the stool beside mine. Where the hell was that bartender?

"I'm not a lady. I'm secretly a guy. See that dude over there? He's my lover. He doesn't like three ways, sorry." I told him happily, not even bothering to look up at his face.

"I have a very hard time believing you're a guy." He said, chuckling in his low, gravely voice. I gave a sigh and looked up at him, annoyed.

He was probably in his early thirties, and he had light brown hair that kind of fell into his eyes. He was also dressed in a suit, the arms of his shirt being pushed up to his elbows.

"Don't you have a wife, six kids and house with the white picket fence to go home to or something?" I asked, staring at him with a slightly critical eye.

The reason that I liked this bar so much, was because it was always quiet, the bartender left you alone, and they played good music in here. And, people like Mr. DA over here normally wouldn't be caught dead in a place like this. And it was on the bad side of town, so most people steered clear of it.

He threw his head back and laughed, his eyes glittering wildly. I couldn't decide if they were gray or a light green.

"No wife or kids, and I certainly don't have a house. I just got out of prison today, this is my way of celebrating. And I wouldn't mind sharing it with a fine girl like you." He said, giving me a creepy smile.

"I'm Even." He said, sticking his hand out for me to shake.

"And I'm not interested." I mumbled, thanking the bartender for my drink as I hurried away from the bar and Mr. Even the creeper.

I slid in besides RayJ, and he put his arm around my shoulders, giving the guy a glare. He'd seen the whole thing, and probably heard it to. Like I said, tiny bar.

"I don't like that fellow," He growled, his eyes flickering between the two of us.

"And I really don't like that you keep telling people we're male lovers. Its not exactly attracting the ladies." He muttered, his gaze becoming annoyed rather then pissed off. His mind was already miles away from Even the creeper.

"Hey, every girl loves a gay guy. It's like, your not a real girl if you don't have a gay friend. I'd say it was attracting them like flies on shit." I promised, resting my head on his shoulder as his arm tightened around me.

"I'm sure I can attract them in my own way. But! We're not here to talk about me and all my lovely lady friends, who I love and adore. Back to your friend Eddie." I laid my head down in his lap, one of my feet dangling off the booths end while the other one was resting in a chair. A group of middle aged men were playing poker two tables away, smoking Cigars and betting huge amounts of money.

It reminded me of Vegas.

I'd become a lot closer with Nessie and Jacob, who were still married and very much in love, even after all these years. Nessie's father had died a few years ago and left everything to her. She was now a very successful, hotel and casino owner.

Jacob was still Elvis, even though he didn't need to. I finished off the rest of his arm with an underwater world theme and the other one with Indian stuff. He'd gotten a lot tougher since the first time I tattooed him. Hell, even Nessie had a few tattoos she'd gotten from me.

I got a free king suite in Vegas for a week in exchange for a few tattoos for ether her or some of their friends.

"I don't see what there is to talk about. Edward is here. He's not available. He knows about the fact that Daisy is bat shit crazy, and their still dating. On top of the fact that I have no social life anymore, with enough things to worry about when it comes to the shop, Alice just gave me more stuff to think about, stuff that I have no power to control. I've got Emmett's tattoo to work on. Emmett is also in the hospital, because of me. Roxanne is old and fat, and I'm pretty sure she'll be dead in a few weeks now-"

"Wait, hold up. Roxanne is dying?"

"That's all you got from my rant?" I asked, disappointed. I normally kept all my troubles and problems to myself. I never told anyone anything about what I was feeling and shit like that. The only reason I was talking with RayJ like this was because I honestly had no idea what to do, and I was drunk of my ass. I have a feeling that the latter had more to do with me opening up then anything else.

"Roxanne is like our mascot. Hell, that's what the shop is called!" He exclaimed, his dark eyes widening. I tugged on one of his dreads, getting him to look down at me.

"Technically, it's called Roxanne's Needle." I told him seriously, trying to hold back the giggles. He rolled his eyes and helped me sit up properly, grabbing both of my shoulders. He was sobering up slightly.

"Why is she dying?"

"She's old. She's like, I don't know, six years now? Their suppose to live until their eight, but the Vet told me she's had a very unhealthy life. It's been a damn pleasant one, but unhealthy. Who'd think that America had trouble with obese animals too?" I said with a shrug, thinking of my poor, fat Roxanne.

"It's not like I haven't tried to exercise her. I walk her everyday, I take her swimming, I've cut back on her food. I don't know why she's so fat." I muttered miserably.

"Maybe, it's because you have split ends." He teased, his drunken mind not being able to stay on topic for more then a few minutes. I punched his arm, making him flinch away slightly.

"But really, what are you going to do about Edward?" He asked, rubbing his tattoo covered arm. I chugged down the rest of my whiskey, letting the dry, bitter liquid slide down my throat slowly. I slammed it down on the table before I turned towards my friend with a smile on my face.

"Absolutely nothing at all."

**-X-**

"You're both late." Mark snapped angrily, slamming a drawer shut with more force then necessary.

"Good to see you didn't die boss." He said sarcastically, banging with some cups just to be an ass.

"Thanks, Mark. By the way, you should know that I don't get hangovers. I'm tired as fuck, but you can stop banging stuff around as a punishment. It's not working buddy." _My head is going to explode_.

"Yeah, me neither. Besides, we're five minutes late. I'm usually half an hour late." RayJ defended, handing us each a star bucks coffee. We'd also bought one big pile of pancakes that was placed on the counter, making the whole place smell like heaven. Even Mark couldn't resist grabbing one of them.

The shop usually opened at 8AM everyday, but I usually got here at 5. I used to come at 6 but the ever sinc

"Yes, well. Bella is usually four hours early. _Every single day_. I actually had to use my key today." He went on, taking another bite from his pancake, his expression still sour. I rolled my eyes at him.

"Add up all those extra hours and call me a slacker. Quite frankly, I don't give a damn. Besides, your arm didn't fall of or brake did it? Nope, still hanging on there." I muttered sarcastically, taking off my sunglasses and throwing them down on my desk. I put both of my hands in my hair, lifting it up and letting it fall back down. It was starting to get heavy. I needed a haircut. Not that I had time for that.

"Very funny. I'm just not used to opening up the shop. And by the way, you have two new messages, one is from Alice, said you needed to call her as soon as possible, the other one is from your four o'clock today. She rescheduled her appointment for next week instead." He rattled off, while he was drawing. I nodded my head and flipped my phone open, finding Alice's number while I fished out the first cigarette of the day. Not that I'd gone to bed yet.

Mark glared up at me.

"What? I didn't have a cigarette today. Geeze, remember who the boss is here would you? This isn't High School. Besides, we don't get any clients before ten." I said defensively as I lit it up and walked outside. I didn't want the place to smell like tobacco ether.

"Hi Bella." Alice's light voice answered on the fifth ring, as it always did. For some reason she always kept her cell phone at the bottom of her purse. You'd think a psychic person would know before you called them but apparently not.

"You left me a message?" I didn't really know what my feelings with Alice were right now. I honestly could not understand why she would jeopardize Emmett's life, who has a son, instead of just telling me about Edward, if that really was why she did what she did.

"Speak up Alice, I'm a busy Woman here." I urged her, taking a long drag from my cig as I tried to ignore the tourist group that walked passed and stared at me as if I was an Alien.

"You're taking your first break of the day, your fine for at least another minute. And I want to apologize for not stopping you. Really, this is the first time something like this happened…" She trailed off, her normally bright voice shaky and uncertain.

"What do you mean? What was suppose to happen?"

"Well, Emmett really wasn't suppose to be in the show at all. Something was going to happen, somewhere in the zoo, and you were going to do the show with some other guy… Anyway, you were the one who was suppose to get hurt. Not Emmett." She explained herself, still sounding surprised, something I'd hardly ever heard her sound like, about the fact that Emmett was bitten and not me.

"Thanks Alice, that makes me feel so much better about everything." I muttered, throwing my death stick, as Mark called them, on the ground, letting my converse crush it into the concrete. I was wearing my own shorts and one of RayJ's old high school t shirts. It was way to big for me, but no where near as big as Emmett's.

"Look, this is kind of hard to explain. Let's have lunch, okay? I'll leave Alex with John and we can have some quiet time. Just the two of us. I feel like I haven't seen you in such a long time." She suggested, some of her usual perkiness coming back into her voice.

"I don't know if I have the time for lunch today. Let me think about it." I said, trying to sound uninterested, even though I was secretly dying to know what was going on.

Alice's visions had always been right. Always. It made absolutely no sense for her to predict the wrong thing. But it also didn't make any sense for her to lie about it ether.

"I'll see you at noon then. Bye!" She hung up before I could say anything else. Snapping my phone shut, I stuffed it in my pocked and threw my head back, letting out a long groan before I walked up the steps to my shop, dragging my feet slowly. I did not feel like working today at all.

* * *

**I really don't like this chapter. It's a filler, its boring and just blah. But I really couldn't see how I could go on with the story without having it in there, SO! Hopefully next chapter will be a lot more exciting. I'm going to spend a lot my time making sure that it us awesome :P **

**Review please? :D **

**Love -STS-**


	15. FIFTEEN

Age - 23 - Bella POV

I was sitting by my desk, filing out paper work when the bell rang above the door. I glanced up to see Alice's spiky hair and her bright blue eyes staring at me expectantly, with a big smile on her face.

"I have a shit load of work to do. I do not have time for one of your little quizzical sessions right now." I muttered, trying to ignore her while I was working. I was planning on doing everything before 3 and then go to the hospital to see Emmett. And maybe get a small glimpse of Edward…

"I know you do, but you'll make it to the hospital at 3:45 if you come with me. Really, you have less work then you think you do. Mark will take care of it. Come on Bella, you're not _really _mad at me. Please?" She made her voice smaller, and when I looked up she was using her puppy eyes on me.

I slammed the folder, closing it as I stood up and grabbed my purse without looking at her at all.

"I want to go to _Immortelle, _your treat and I don't have to talk if I don't want to. Because I really _am _mad, Alice." I told her with a frosty tint to my voice, walking past her with my head held high.

"I'll be back by 12:30!" I called into the shop. I was done tattooing for today, and I only had paper work left. The only thing I didn't like about actually owning a shop was the fact that I didn't get to tattoo as much anymore. It made me slightly jealous to see both of my employees tattooing, knowing that I didn't have time for it. I'd only tattooed one person today.

"You know, you can ignore me for as long as you want, but it really is pointless, because you are dying to know why my vision failed me, for the first time ever. And I know your not that mad. Besides, if my vision turns out the way I hope it will, you'll end up thanking me. So go right ahead and ignore me." She told me smugly. I rolled my eyes and started walking at a faster paste down the street. The restaurant was only a block away.

"So does that mean you know then?" I asked her when we sat down at a table outside. She was right, I wasn't really mad. And if I was the one in the hospital I would probably think it was cool getting a scar from an Alligator, and it would be nice to have a small vacation from work.

But she shouldn't just go around playing god with our lives and influence our decisions when she couldn't even predict the right outcome anymore. Emmett could have died, and I wasn't about to let her forget that.

"Know what?" She asked, scanning her menu.

"Know why your vision failed you. You know what I'm talking about, _don't _fuck around with me." I snapped, just as the waiter arrived at our table. She jumped slightly at the forcefulness in my voice.

"Hi, my name is Julie, I'll be your waiter today, would you like something to drink before you give me your order?" She asked in a way too perky voice.

"Water for the both of us please." I ordered, knowing Alice like the back of my hand. She never ordered anything besides water. Ever.

"Alright I'll be back shortly."

"I'm not really sure, actually. The vision that I had showed me Emmett leaving the whole show to go help someone with the Gorillas and you going on stage with Emmett's assistant. You'd do something wrong and Dexter would bite you. I didn't get the vision about Emmett joining you on stage until two minutes before it actually happened." She said, folding her menu neatly and placing it on the table, straightening out the glass and the napkins.

"That still doesn't explain anything. It makes no sense for you to see something that wouldn't happen. As far as I know that's never happened before." She frowned down at her hands, looking away from me.

"See, I don't know what happened. But I've been seeing this guy, in my visions, and I can never quite…" She started but stopped herself, shaking her head, determination filling her sky colored eyes.

"I think I was just distracted. But your right, it makes no sense for me to see something that wouldn't happen. And I'm sorry, but I honestly thought that you were the one who was going to get bitten. I talked to Emmett about it and he understands. But I haven't been wrong since though, so it was probably just a one time thing."

"It happened yesterday." I said flatly, raising my eyebrows at her.

"I know, okay? I know. I have no idea what happened, so please, cut me some slack. I feel terrible about what happened to Emmett, I really do. It doesn't help that Alex cries for his dad all the time ether. And he woke up screaming from a nightmare last night." She said, her façade cracking as she let her head fall into her hands.

I sighed and rolled my eyes, uncrossing my arms and grabbing one of her hands in mine, giving them a gentle squeeze.

"Alice, you unintentionally did something terrible. I'm not going to tell you to not feel bad about it, but… since everyone else is giving you a hard time, maybe you should cut yourself some slack. I mean after all I was the one who was suppose to end up in the hospital, not Emmett. And your right, it is probably just a one time thing. So, tell me about this guy." I said, changing the subject.

I felt like an ass for giving her a hard time about it, because she would probably go and punish herself enough as it is without everyone else helping her along. Although she really did do a terrible thing. Just not intentionally.

"Well, I can never really see his face, and all I get are flashes whenever he pops up. It's starting to annoy me because he is interfering with my work. I can be having a vision about some child being murdered and all of a sudden I get this flash of some guy laughing, or just sleeping. But I can _never _see his face." I could tell that she was hiding something more, or lying about something, because Alice really was one of the worst liars I knew.

"So let me get this straight. You're getting visions inside other visions, and you got one major fake vision on an event happening. Did you tell Clarissa?" I asked her, thanking the waiter as she brought our water.

"Are you ready to order?"

"One Turkey sandwich with fries on the side please." I ordered, giving her a smile as I handed her the menu.

"A chicken salad please." Alice ordered, handing her the menu quickly, almost shooing the lady away.

"I called her and she said that I had to figure it out myself. She said she'd gone through something similar and was very happy about the fact that no one told her what to do. So I guess it's not dangerous. But what am I going to do? Peoples lives depend on my visions being correct. I can't fail them." She said, almost desperately. This Alice was very different from the chirpy one meeting me in the shop today.

"Well that's good… I guess. At least it means it'll pass. As for your job… Maybe you should consider going to college. Get another job." I suggested, earning a glare.

Alice's high school experience hadn't been the best. She refused to tell people about the fact that she had visions, convinced that they would all look at her as a freak. Turns out you're a freak anyway when you space out randomly all day long. College would be like her own personal hell.

Besides, she got into FBI right away, college really wasn't all that important. Not for Alice anyway.

"There are online Colleges you know." I went on. She rolled her eyes, giving me a smirk.

"Then how come you haven't started this fantastic internet College?" She challenged.

"Oh please, when would I have the time for something like College? I've hardly got time to take a dump during the day, much less write essays and read psychology books. Besides, I run my own very successful business thank you very much. I'll worry about College when my hands fall off." I told her, taking a huge bite out of my sandwich before my plate even touched the table.

Alcohol always made me hungry.

"I wish I could have it that easy. I can't just quit my job though. It would be too hard to just stand by and watch people getting murdered and killed, knowing that I can help. It would be like being a child again." She said with a shudder.

"What does John think about all of this?"

"He doesn't really care. He said he loves me no matter what I do." She said, smiling down at her food. She was just picking at it with her fork.

I took another huge bite of my sandwich.

"Of course he doesn't care." I muttered sarcastically. John was an ass. He constantly complains and bitches about everything and anything and he says the word "like" in every sentence. Sure, he was good looking, but I honestly think Alice could do better. She seems to disagree.

Emmett and I had a theory that the main reason she's dating is because John is very understanding about her visions.

"Bella don't start with me," She snapped, knowing perfectly well how Emmett, RayJ and I viewed her boyfriend. They'd dated for well over a year now.

"Sorry, sorry. That was uncalled for. Anyway, I don't really know what to tell you. How about you take a long vacation to figure out what the problem is. I'm sure Nessie and Jake would love to have you." I said with a smile. She shook her head, swallowing her first bite.

"I can't. Don't have any more vacation days left this year. Or, I'm saving up for Christmas and New years. I'll talk to the boss about it. Hopefully she'll be understanding." She said with a shrug, looking at people as they walked past on the sidewalk.

"That woman wouldn't know what understanding was if it bit her in the ass." I said with a loud unlady like snort.

"Bella, that's my boss your talking about!" She hissed disapprovingly, looking around to see if anyone heard me.

"I know, I've met the woman." She rolled her eyes, smiling apologetically at the couple at the table next to us.

"Hey Alice, I have to ask you something." I said after we'd been sitting in silence for a few minutes.

"Shoot."

"Why couldn't you just tell me about Edward? I mean, it would be a lot easier if you just told me that he worked at the hospital rather then going through all this trouble?" I asked her, dipping my fry in Ketchup.

"Come on, it's you we're talking about. You over think and over analyze everything. You would never in a million years go to the hospital just to meet up with him. Someone had to get hurt for you to meet him." She said.

"I would have called Jasper. I could have met him through him."

"You weren't going to call Jasper and you know that."

"He could have called me."

"You still wouldn't have met up with Edward. Trust me, this was pretty much the only way for it to happen. I hated myself for doing it but I know how obsessed-"

"I am not obsessed with Edward, I'm not in love with him, and I do _not _have a crush on him." I said forcefully. Alice smirked at me, taking a sip of her water.

"I was going to say, I know how obsessed you get over not coming off as a stalker or crazy, but sure, you just keep telling yourself that." She laughed, poking her tongue at me. I blushed, looking away from her.

"It's not like I have the time for a relationship. Hell, I don't even have the skills for a relationship." I mumbled, looking down at my hands, studying my nails.

"Sure you do," Alice encouraged, giving me a reassuring smile.

"Is that why my longest relationships lasted for four months?" I asked her, arching an eyebrow. She scratched the back of her neck awkwardly.

"Well… None of them were right for you. And not to be rude or anything but you do go through boys like socks." She said in a timid voice.

"Hey! I do not! I haven't dated anyone since Tony, which is a really long time ago. I've been good!" I protested. _My god it's been a long time since I had sex. _

"I wouldn't exactly say seven weeks was a long time, but sure, for you it is."

"Way to sugarcoat that your calling me a whore." I said with a pout, grabbing another fry and stuffing it into my mouth angrily.

"I have my ways." She said with a smug smile, making me poke my tongue at her.

"You do know that Edward is dating Daisy Daniels, right?" I asked her, folding my arms on the table and leaning forward. She didn't seem surprised at all.

"I know about it, yes."

"And you still think that I should try something with Edward?" I questioned, surprised. Alice was always very clear about what's right and what's wrong.

"No, I don't. I think you should try to be friends with him. Because as much as you think you know him now, you really don't. He's probably changed just as much as you have since High School. Have him as a friend." She suggested, motioning with her hands.

"So it will be like dating a guy…without the sex?" I asked, confused. That didn't sound like a very good deal to me.

"Why does everything have to be about sex with you! You can be friends with guys without having sex with them! What about RayJ?" She cried, frustrated.

"Um, RayJ and I've had sex before."

"What, when?!" She asked, shocked.

"In New York, when we first met. But that's beside the point. I'll just see what happens, okay? I'm pretty much stuck in the shop for a few weeks anyway, so I wouldn't be a very good friend. And who knows, maybe he doesn't even want to be friends?"

"How come you never told me about that before? And you can take some time off, you work more then enough as it is, you would have plenty of time to do friendly things with him. But your right, we don't know if he wants to be friends with you or not. That's why you need to see more of him at the hospital."

"Shit, its 12: 57, why the hell am I still here?! Fuck! Alice, I will see you later. Thanks for lunch!" I called after me as I sprinted back to work. I really, really wanted to see Emmett today.

And work was the only thing that could get my mind of the green eyed demon that constantly haunted the back of my eyelids.

**-X- **

Age - 23- Edward POV 

"You better have the best explanation for why you are late this morning." Dr. Snow growled at me as soon as I walked into the locker rooms. I ripped of my shirt and put on another one before I slipped my scrubs over them.

"I'm sorry, sir, but my car broke down in the middle of the road and I caused a huge traffic jam and-"

"I asked for an explanation, not excuses. You are working at least one hour overtime today to make up for the time you were late. And don't forget. One mistake and you are out of here." He snarled as he walked past me, his beady eyes glaring at everything that moved.

This had probably started out as the worst day of my entire life. I'd started my morning with stepping on Daisy's curling iron, giving me a nasty burn under my foot. It hurt every time I stepped on it and I felt like crying knowing I was going to have to run around the ER all day long.

We were also out of coffee, the milk had gone bad, and I found out the disgusting way. So I spent ten minutes puking my guts out. Nothing gets your gagging reflexes going as lumpy milk.

The car stopped working in the middle of the road, causing a huge traffic jam. I had people call me things I've never even heard of before. I had to wait for a tow truck to come, which will cost me a shit load of money, and then I had to ride the bus. And not any old bus. A school bus full of first graders.

Not really my cup of tea, to be honest. And, to top it all of, Daisy was mad at me this morning for using her towel to wipe my face with after I puked. I did not look forward to getting home today.

"Good morning Edward." Carlisle said cheerfully, walking into the locker rooms. I gave him a small smile as I tied up my shoes, flinching slightly as my foot came in contact with the floor. I stood up, leaning on my good leg.

"Morning, Carlisle." There was nothing good about it, that's for damn sure.

"What happened to your foot?" He asked, motioning with his hand as he drank his coffee, standing at a safe distance away from me.

"Stepped on my girlfriends curling iron this morning." I said with a laugh, blushing slightly. I felt like the dumbass of the staff. The klutzy idiot that couldn't do anything right even if his life depended on it.

"Ouch, that can't feel good. Do you need it checked out?" He asked, putting his mug down. I shook my head quickly, taking a step back.

"No thanks, I've looked at it myself. It's only second degree burn, I've fixed it up this morning. I really need to go do something before I get sent back to morgue duty." I told him, running a hand through my hair. This was one of those days I felt proud about the fact that I even got up.

"You better get out there." He said with a chuckle, waving me away. I hurried out of the room, grabbing a few charts on my way. I didn't have Carlisle to do rounds with today, so I decided to be good to myself and pick some easy ones.

I worked by myself throughout the whole day with as few accidents as possible. If Dr. Snow saw everything I'd done wrong today he'd probably fire me on the spot, but what he doesn't know doesn't really hurt him.

Besides, I apologized to everyone. Heck, the guy I stitched up thought I was hilarious. Of course he was high as a kite, but still, it brightened my day slightly.

My foot was killing me, but I wasn't going to complain about that when I was in a hospital with people who've burned off half of their face.

"Edward, could you go check on Mr. McCarthy please? He needs his meds." One of the new nurses asked me, her face poking out of the nurses station.

"Sure." I said with a smile. This way I wouldn't have to go and do anything destructive.

"Hey Edward!" Emmett said loudly, not even looking up to see who it was. He was too absorbed in his gameboy, his huge fingers clicking at the tiny devise at an amazing speed.

"Hello Emmett. How are you doing today," I asked him, looking over his chart quickly.

"Better then you judging by your limp. But then again I'm pretty sure I would limp too if I could walk at the moment." He said, chuckling to himself.

"How can you know all that when you haven't even looked up from your gameboy?" I asked, slightly amazed. Emmett smirked.

"When you're the single parent of the most destructive three year old in the world you develop some skills. It's just cheaper that way." He said with a shrug and a slightly smug smile.

"Alex can't be that bad," The kid might have broken one skeleton, but he was only three years old. How much damage can a three year old do?

Emmett pressed a button and the gameboy stopped making the same annoying beeping sound. He looked up at me, giving me a huge grin.

"I don't have to explain to you how Bella was growing up, because from what she's told me I'm pretty sure you know already," _You have no idea._

"I was pretty much the same way, maybe not as smart as she was though. I usually never got away with anything I did, ever, while Bella had my mom wrapped around her finger. Alex is like a mix between the two of us times five." He said with a laugh, and I felt my eyes widen. I let out a low whistle.

"I feel sorry for you," I told him sincerely, and I honestly did. Bella was terrible as a child. Not just towards me, but towards everyone. Hell, even James and Tyler had to go through a lot of her pranks at times. I couldn't even picture a child being worse then her.

"What's the worst thing he's done so far?"

"Well, I don't know about worst, but what cost me the most was when he scratched up my neighbors Austin Martin. Actually it was her boyfriends, but I still had to pay for it. I love him to death, I really do, but he can be a pain in the ass most of the time. Makes you understand your own parents a whole lot more." I nodded, pursing my lips.

"Okay, moving on. How are you feeling today?" I asked him, shaking my head to get down to business. We could talk more about his son another day.

Emmett straightened up in his bed, flinching slightly as his leg moved a little too much.

"Like I got bitten by an alligator yesterday," He joked, laughing. I smiled, finding some drugs for him to take for the pain.

"Let me take a look at the wound. We don't want there to be any infections or anything." I said, mostly to myself. I pulled the bandage off carefully. It looked fine to me, the stitches were nicely done, obviously, seeing as Carlisle did them himself.

"Okay, well, everything looks perfect. I'll give you a few pills for the pain and you should be fine for today." I told him with a smile, limping back to the end of his bed to write on his chart.

"My fluid, IV bad thingy is almost empty." He said, pointing up at the dried out bag. _I can't believe I missed something so basic. _

"Right, I was, um, getting to that." I said, hiding my face behind the chart while I wrote.

"I'll get one of the nurses to bring you your meds." I told him, after I changed the bag. It was slightly embarrassing.

"Hey Edward!" Emmett called after me as I tried, in vain, to hurry out of the room before I could humiliate myself any further.

"Yes?"

"Bella is coming over later today. Around three or four, which I guess is pretty soon… Maybe you could come and check my chart around that time. You know, just to be sure everything is okay and no one messed up." He said in a sly voice, grinning up at me devilishly. I gave him a small smile, shaking my head.

"If anyone were to make any mistakes, it would probably be me. Besides, I can't really decide where I want to be. It's not really up to me." _Lie_.

"Oh well, you'll know she's here anyway. You'll probably see her walking out, or maybe meet up with her in the hallway or something." He said with a shrug, picking his gameboy up again, giving his full attention to the tiny devise.

"I'll see you later Emmett." Truth was that I didn't want to see Bella today. I meant what I said the other day, I wanted to have her in my life, I truly did, but everything I did today turned into one big disaster after another. Call me superstitious, but I was not about to take a chance like that when it came to her. Besides, Emmett would be here for a whole week. Plenty of time for me to see her.

My pager went off, and I cursed, seeing the message. They needed help in the ER.

I started running towards the elevators, but they closed right before I got there, some of the other inters smiling cruelly at me. I'd injured or made an ass out of all of them at some point, not intentionally of course, but they were still pretty pissed about it.

"Shit!" I hissed, turning around and running for the stairs, flying down the hallway past the sick and the elderly.

The ER was on the first floor, and I was on the eleventh. And for some reason, the elevator was always busy whenever I tried it, or too far away, so I had to keep running down every flight of steps.

By the time I got to the ER, I was sweating like an ice cream on a hot summer day.

"EDWARD! I paged you ten minutes ago! Where the hell have you been?!" Dr. Snow yelled loudly as he preformed a medical procedure on one of the patients who'd just arrived.

"I'm sorry sir, but the elevator was-"

"I don't care, go help Dr. Cullen! And you better not screw up boy." He growled, never taking his eyes off his dying patient. It was an older man, who was having a seizure, his whole body shaking violently.

I hurried over to Carlisle, tripping over a patient with a broken leg. He screamed out in pain, clutching his injury.

"I'm so sorry, are you okay?" I asked, bending down to see if I'd caused any more damage.

"There is _BONE_, sticking out of my fucking _LEG_! Of _course _I'm not okay you idiot!" The guy yelled, punching me hard in the face. Before I understood what had happened I was laying on the floor with a bleeding nose and what would probably turn into a very lovely black eye in a few hours.

"Ow," I muttered, clutching my face as I squeezed my eyes shut tightly as the searing hot pain shot through my skull.

"I'm sorry, sir, I'll get one of the nurses to come and take a look at it," I mumbled to the furious guy, walking away quickly as I tried to find Carlisle in the huge chaos that was known as the ER.

"Edward, what happened to you?!" Carlisle exclaimed as I held some tissue paper in front of my nose to try and stop the bleeding.

"Nothing, just a mad patient. Don't worry about it. What do you need me to do?"

"Help me stop the bleeding. Patient was stabbed multiple times in the chest." He said briskly, and a nurse came up and shoved to small tampons up my nose before I started, checking to see if I'd broken anything.

"Your nose is fine, but you'll have a nasty black eye. It's already starting to form." She told me in a monotonous voice. Mrs. Lark had worked at the hospital forever, she neither resented or liked anyone. With the exception of Dr. Snow of course, like I said, _no _one liked him.

"Thank you Mrs. Lark," I said gratefully as I helped Carlisle with the bleeding as he worked quickly.

"Sure, sure." She muttered, handing Carlisle an instrument while he worked. Luckily, my only job was to stop the bleeding, which was fairly simple.

"_Edward_!" Dr. Snow yelled angrily, and I turned around, letting go of what I was doing. I got a huge slash of blood squirt me right in the side of my face, and the patients heart monitor started beeping like crazy.

I turned back around quickly, covering the wounds again. I was too mortified to look up at Carlisle's frustrated face.

"You _cannot _let go, Edward." He reminded me vehemently, working even harder now then before.

"Masen!" Dr. Snow called again, but this time, I didn't turn around.

"Yes sir?" I yelled back, while trying to focus on stopping the bleeding. So much for that task being effortless.

"Did you step on this patients broken foot?" He growled, and I could practically feel his anger coming off in waves, hitting my back more forcefully each time.

"I tripped over it sir. It was an accident and I've already apologized. It won't happen again sir." I promised, not taking my eyes off my hands.

"That's not what I want to hear Edward! This gentleman right here might sue my hospital for your mistake!" He hissed in my ear, too low for the guy with the broken leg to hear.

"Did he say that he was going to sue?" I asked timidly.

"No, but he might, and if, and when that happens, I want you to tell him that he should sue you, _not _this hospital!" He said, panting. I could almost feel the blood draining from my face.

"Yes sir." I mumbled out, clearing my throat.

"_Shit_, Edward, go with Dr. Snow, Laura you come with me. Whoever did this cut an artery." Carlisle said, and Laura, a girl who hated me more then words could describe, pushed me out of the way as they started to lead the man into the OR.

I turned around slowly, reaching one hand up to wipe some blood off my face, looking up at Dr. Snows sneering face. Gulping once, I squared my shoulders and stood up straight, crossing my bloodied arms over my chest, tampons sticking out of my nose and all.

"If that patient dies because you let go, you will get fired. I don't care if it's because of that or not, I want you out of this hospital faster then you can say Macroangiopathy, is that clear?" He barked, saliva dripping down his chin.

"Crystal, sir." I replied, keeping my stance. I was not about to show even more weakness. He turned around with a great huff, straightening his collar before he started walking at a brisk pace, yelling out instructions left and right.

I let out a deep breath, and it felt like my whole chest deflated.

"You might as well go and pack your stuff right now, Masen. You've gone what, two seconds without messing up? Must say I'm impressed." Gregory, another rival intern, sneered as he walked past, throwing a bloody glove at me, making me stumble away slightly.

I bumped into a doctor who was trying to remove a nail from an old man's ear, the sharp piece of metal sinking even further into his head. He screamed out in pain, and I jumped away, my leg getting stuck on his IV, ripping it out of his hand, making blood squirt out all over the place.

"Edward, _no_!"

"Masen!"

"_Edward Anthony Masen_! I want you out of this hospital _right now_!"

"But, but sir! I didn't-"

"Get OUT!" There was a dead silence for about two seconds before all the normal ER sounds started up again. As if someone loosing their job in such a public way was an everyday occurrence.

I hung my head in shame and walked towards the locker rooms, ignoring all the smug looks I was receiving from all the other inters and doctors.

You'd think behavior like that stopped after middle school. Apparently I was wrong.

Oh god, what would I tell Daisy?

I packed my stuff slowly, washing the mans blood off my face and dressing into a clean, white t shirt and a pair of holey old jeans, tying up my black chucks slowly. I didn't want to go home. I certainly didn't want to go to Jasper and Rosalie's place ether.

"Edward, I'm sorry about all of this." I noticed him before he even spoke up. Nodding my head slowly, I closed my locker, slipping Bella's chain and ring over my head again. The small weight felt right against my chest.

"Look, I could probably talk to Dr. Snow. He had no valid reason to let you go what so ever, and-"

"Just let it go." I mumbled turning around and leaning against the lockers. I closed my eyes for a moment, running a tired hand through my hair.

"I don't deserve to be here. I've worked my ass off, but I'm just not good at it. It's not fair to the patients, or to anyone else here, to let me stay. So please, let it go." Picking up my back pack, I limped out of there quickly before he could say anything, my foot throbbing more then ever.

Ignoring all the stares I was getting, I hurried out to the parking lot, only to remember that my car had been towed away this morning.

"Oh you've got to be kidding me," I mumbled, looking around quickly. There was no one I could get a ride with, it was a really long walk to the apartment, and a cab ride would be expensive as hell. The bus it was. Again.

This time, at least, it was a normal bus, and the only thing I can complain about is the fact that I still had tampons shoved up my nose, which, of course, made everyone stare at me, snickering and giggling as they in vain tried to hide their amusement from me.

If it wasn't for the fact that I'd just lost my job, I'd probably be laughing too.

"He's so hot,"

"Ew, Brianna, he's got like, _tampons_, in his nose!"

"Maybe he was in a bar fight, I think it's sexy." Two girls were discussing loudly, and I tried to pretend that I couldn't hear them. I hated it when I heard comments like that, because it always made me feel uncomfortable. Daisy loved it though, because it meant someone wanted something, or in this case some_one_, that she had.

I got off the bus quickly, stuffing Bella's ring into my shirt hurriedly. It almost felt like I was cheating on Daisy, and the more logical side of me told me to just stuff it in my back pack and forget about it, but I couldn't. It was as if my arms had a mind of their own.

After all the crappy stuff that had happened today, I just couldn't put away the one thing that had brought me some slight comfort.

"Daisy?" I called out, after taking the long, painful walk up to my apartment, which was almost hers. She still had her own place on the other side of Orlando, but it was just too far away from the hospital for me to be staying over at her place. Not that it would matter anymore. I might as well move in with her now and find another job. Maybe I could work at a pharmacy…

"Edward, what are you doing home?" She asked, walking out of my bathroom, fiddling with an earring. I dropped my backpack to the ground, walking over to her and giving her a hug.

"I lost my job, and the car is in the shop, because it broke down on the highway." I mumbled into her blond locks, hugging her thin frame to me. She put both of her arms around my back before she leaned away from me slightly to look at my face.

"Edward what happened to you? Come sit in the kitchen, I'll make us some coffee and find some ice for your eye. Are you okay?" She asked me, her eyes big with concern.

She grabbed my hand and led me into the kitchen, pulling out a chair for me and finding a bag of chopped up carrots that she placed on my eye carefully before she pulled to two tampons out with gentle hands.

"I tripped on some guys leg, and he punched me in the face. And Dr. Snow just got fed up with all the mistakes I was making. I might as well face it now, I'll never be a Doctor, least of all a surgeon." I said miserably, and I don't think I've ever felt more sorry for myself in my life. Not even when Bella left all those years ago. But then again she had for filled my life's biggest dreams at the same time.

"Don't say that Edward, of course you will. You just got off on the wrong foot with Dr. Snow that's all. Now, drink your coffee, get some sleep and let him cool off for a few days, then, Monday morning you'll march right in there and get your job back." She said brightly, kissing my cheek, making me flinch away slightly. My whole face hurt now that I had time to actually sit down and take it easy.

"It's not that easy Daisy. I've been messing up a lot lately, he's been really nice with just putting me on Morgue duty. I could have killed someone today, I almost did." I told her patiently. What would I tell my parents? I should have just given up when I had the chance. Giving up is a lot better then being a failure, right?

"Nonsense. You can't just give up like that. You have to fight for what's yours! You've worked hard to become a doctor, you should stick to your goals, or else you'll get nowhere in life." She said, almost as if she was dismissing the subject.

"But listen to me, I can't, no I won't, put anyone's life at risk anymore. I could seriously hurt someone just because I'm being selfish." See, the thing is, I never told Daisy that I didn't want to become a Doctor. She sort of thought it was my biggest dream. When I'd first met her, she'd been so impressed with the fact that I was becoming a doctor. Telling her that I hated it would be a turn off for her. I'd made the right decision with keeping my mouth shut.

"Edward, stop being silly. If people didn't act selfish every now and then, we'd get nowhere in life. What's your plan then? If it's not going back to the hospital?" She asked, her voice sharp. I swallowed thickly, looking down. I did not want to have a fight with her today.

"First of all, being selfish is one thing, but when it effects whether a person lives or dies, it's not okay. Second of all, I don't have a plan yet, because I was just fired." I said defensively.

"You can't be serious. Your really not going back to the hospital? Are you insane or just incredibly stupid?" She asked, both shocked and angry.

"Daisy please, I've had a long day, can we not talk about-"

"No I think we need to talk about it right now. You are quitting without even a fight. You're just giving up for no reason at all. People die at the hospital everyday, Edward. News flash, it's where all the dying people go!" She yelled, crossing her arms in front of her chest and staring at me expectantly.

"I've fought for this for a long time and you know it. Every morgue duty has only brought me closer to what we both knew inevitably was going to happen. Sure, the day is here a little sooner then I expected, but we'll get through this." I tried to sound reassuring, for the both of us, but was weak to my own ears.

"Your dad is going to have a bitch fit." She said, as if that would get me to change my mind.

"Believe me, I know." I muttered, rubbing a tired hand through my hair and placing the cold bag of carrots on the table. All I wanted to do was to go to sleep and never wake up. Then I wouldn't have to deal with any of my problems.

"Ugh! your so, so…!"

"So, what?"

"So god damn pathetic and useless! A _real _man would have fought for what was rightfully his, a real man would have stood up and just marched right down to that hospital and demanded his job back! All you do is just sit here and whine, and moan about itty bitty little _Eddie _and how miserable his day was." She said nastily, and she actually looked down at me with a small smirk on her face.

"What the hell is the matter with you, why are you acting like this all of a sudden?" I asked, confused. We'd had fights before, but she'd never been down right nasty and mean like she was now. Well, not towards me anyway.

"I'm sorry Edward, I didn't mean that. It's just… I've been so insecure ever since you came home after meeting up with Bella Swan. I know that she's a big part of your life. Or, she used to be. But, I'm the one you love now, _your _little flower. It really hurts me that you can't understand that I'm insecure. Is it so wrong of me to be jealous?" She asked me with an exaggerated pout, batting her fake eyelashes at me while putting both of her hands behind her back. This was a total 360 from she'd acted only seconds before.

"Um, no?" I answered, more confused then ever.

"I really didn't mean what I said you know. But… Ever since I was a little girl, I dreamed off marrying a doctor, and then I met you, all cute and charming, and you were going to become one. And your so nice to me. How could I not want to be with you? My sweet Eddie." She said softly, not touching me at all, her hands still crossed tightly in front of her chest.

There was something off about her eyes though, and I wondered for a split second if she was high on something. This was not how she usually acted.

Daisy wasn't very… intellectual, to be honest. But I was fine with that. She was fun to be around and was mostly in a good mood, if things went her way. She'd never been unpredictable though, because I could usually tell fairly easily when it was time to seek shelter in the bedroom to escape her wrath.

"But now… you're not going to be a doctor anymore." She said quietly, looking down at the floor.

"But we'll get through this. I'll just find another job, maybe as a vet or-"

"No, Edward. I wanted to marry a surgeon. Or a gynecologist, or maybe even a pediatrician. Not a veterinarian."

"So let me get this straight, you don't want to be with me unless I'm a doctor?" I asked, appalled. She couldn't possibly mean that she'd only dated me for a whole year because she _thought _I was going to become some big, hot shot doctor. Even back then I'd been a lousy intern, something I'd never hidden from her.

"No, that's not what I'm saying! I'm giving you an ultimatum. Ether you go back on Monday and get your job back, or I might walk out of this relationship. If you can't commit to your job, how can I know that you'll ever commit to me?" She said dramatically, putting one hand over her face as if she was about to cry.

"But I was fired. _Fired_. As in it was out of my hands. That has nothing to do with commitment, it's about the fact that I'm a lousy doctor! How many times do I have to tell you, _I love you_!" I yelled, standing up too quickly. I got dizzy and sat down again, not wanting to pass out in the middle of a fight.

She huffed, turning away from me to fix with the coffee. At least she wasn't leaving the room.

"I've said my part of it Edward, it's up to you now." She answered briskly.

"And what if I do march in there and demand my job back, and I fail at doing so? What happens then?" I asked, my hand trembling with frustration and suppressed rage.

"I guess you didn't try hard enough then. I think it would be best if I stayed at my apartment from now on. Today is Tuesday… I'll call you sometime next week. Hopefully you'll have your job back by the time I call." She said, turning around without looking at me. She walked into my bedroom and started to put all her things on the bed, while she searched for a duffel bag.

"You don't think your over reacting just a little? You should be supporting me right now, or we should be having "hope this makes you feel better about your shitty day sex," or something!" I exclaimed, gesturing wildly towards her growing pile of articles on the bed.

She whipped around quickly, her blond locks almost slapping me across the face.

"I am _not _overreacting! Ask any other rational girl in my position and she'd do the exact same thing. I come from a wealthy family, Edward. I can't end up with some guy who can't even keep his job for more then a year at a time! Maybe it'll be shorter next time, how can I know?" She said, pointing a finger at me wildly.

"And for the love of god, not the sex thing again. Can't you think about anything else? Even when we're fighting it's all you can think about! You're like an animal, _selfish_! You only ever think about your-"

"You know what Daisy? Fine. Leave. I honestly don't care right now. It's pretty obvious to me that I'm not good enough for you. I will never _be _good enough for you and I won't ever get that job back, not even if I started paying them. So go pack your stuff and run along with your little Fabio actor or whatever his name is." I told her calmly, trying to stifle the guilt, anger and shame as I walked away from her shocked figure and into the living room, laying down on the very comfortable couch.

"Wait, what- just who do you think you are, kicking me out like that?!" She yelled, both of her hands on her hips. I'd never realized before then how high pitched her voice was.

I don't know what snapped, but… hearing all those awful things about myself coming from her, all the sudden ultimatums and demands, the yelling, the non existent sex life, finally came crashing down on me. It almost felt like a horse kicked me in the stomach to get me to just wake up.

I loved Daisy. I truly did, with all my heart. But she wasn't good _for _me, or _to _me. It wasn't fair towards me, or towards her, because she clearly didn't love me, and she certainly wasn't happy with me. It dawned on me just how unhealthy our relationship really was.

"You said you wanted to leave, so leave. I'm not doing this anymore." I told her, staring up at the ceiling with one and a half eyes. My left one had started to swell shut, which was just the cherry on top to my perfect day.

"Not doing… you can't just _not _do it anymore!"

"A minute ago you couldn't get out of here fast enough. I'm done fighting with you, so please, leave." I replied, not even looking up to see her reaction.

It wasn't long before the front door slammed, making a picture fall down and break all over the hallway. Great.

This was a huge breakthrough for me, because this is probably the first rebellious thing I'd ever done. All my life, I'd done exactly what people told me to do.

I'd never stay one minute out after curfew as a teen, never touched a cigarette in my life. I drank, occasionally, but not until after I turned 21.

But now, I'd told someone off. Someone I love dearly. The feeling was…

Exhilarating.

I could feel my adrenalin pumping through my system quickly, making my palms sweat and my heart beat speed up. I breathed in and out deeply a few times to calm myself down.

_Relax, it's not that big of a deal_.

Any other guy with a small shred of self respect and dignity would have told her to take a hike months ago. Just like Emmett…

I touched my wrists, rubbing them, as if I was the one with the hideous scars forever wrapped around them.

Hopefully, Daisy's gotten over her vengeful ways.

* * *

**AN: I just want everyone who reads this story to know that I do not, I repeat, do NOT, like this chapter. I had a really hard time writing at and it took me forever. It sucks, because it's not even a filler. A lot of things happen and it still sucks -.-'**

**Hope you didn't feel like pulling your brain out to wash it clean of this terrible chapter :P**

**Review's are welcomed with open arms! :D**


	16. SIXTEEN

Age - 23 - Edward POV

People deal with misery in different ways. Some people drink, some people eat, some people cry and other people turn into zombies. Hell, I once met a man at the hospital who stuffed carrots up his ass whenever he was sad.

Point being, there are many ways to be sad, fed up, glum, down, blue, poo poo ka choo…

Me? I usually drink, and smoke pot. Probably not the best mix in the world, but then again, this wasn't the best day in the world ether.

"_Are you tired of not getting an erection when needed? Sick of feeling down, rather then up? You have a problem, we got the solution_!" I chuckled at the voice of the man, for no reason at all. I had no trouble getting it up. Sticking it somewhere though, seemed to be a bigger problem.

I know, I know, goody two shoes Edward Masen smoking pot, oh no! Whatever will mother dearest say? Well, like Jasper and Rosalie like to point out to me whenever we do it, what mommy doesn't know, doesn't really hurt her.

Besides, if it hadn't been for the lovely Mary Jay, I probably wouldn't have been able to handle College and medical school because of all the stress.

Jasper and Rose had both been active smokers since High school, although I never joined in when they sat and smoked with their dad. I would be there, but I never smoked, afraid I'd get caught by my mom.

But, they actually sat me down in College and forced me to have one joint so I would just calm down before I had a heart attack at the age of 19. It helped me a lot, and I probably wouldn't have gotten as far as I did in my medical career without it.

I was sitting on the couch in nothing but my boxers, a bandage covering my foot, a black eye and a joint in my hand, the TV blaring.

"Spongebob, spongebob, spongebong…" I sang quietly to myself, staring at all the pretty colors twirling around on the Television, twisting away all my worries and fears, leaving me with only a happy grin and a nice cosy feeling in my body. Painting the wall in rainbow colours was probably one of the worst idea's Daisy ever had.

My phone rang, and I picked it up, staring at the screen that flashed with Rosalie's name on it before I picked up.

"Yellow." I answered, taking another long drag, holding it in before coughing violently, feeling even more light headed. I picked up the air freshener, spraying it around in the room, sighing happily. I hadn't smoked weed since I started dating Daisy, which is over a year now.

"Seriously Edward, in the afternoon? And without me? How come I just got a hysterical call from Daisy, blubbering on about something unintelligent?" Rose asked, and I could hear her driving, someone honking in the background.

"Probably cause I told her to get out," I said, sort of ashamed for giggling like a 13 year old girl who's meeting a huge star for the first time. Scratch that, my giggling would put a 13 year old girl to shame.

"Dude, were you high or something when you kicked her out or clear in the head?"

"Clear as a bright night sky, filled with rainy clouds." I answered, propping both of my feet up on the coffee table.

"Right, okay, she called me half an hour ago, but I figured I wouldn't be able to come over until I was done working so I didn't bother to call you. Jasper and I are on our way over right now, we'll be there in five minutes so… See you soon!" She said brightly, hanging up before I could protest or say anything at all.

I considered putting clothes on, but decided not to. Both Jasper and Rosalie had seen me ether naked or in other various states of undress too many times to count for me to care if they saw me now.

It wasn't long before they both came tumbling in, falling into the couch on ether side of me. Rosalie leaned in, resting her head on my shoulder as Jasper took the joint from my hand, taking a long drag from it and holding it in before passing it over to Rose.

"So, we'll be quiet while you explain everything that happened, from the beginning please," Jasper said, leaning back in the couch as he stretched out both of his arms. I could only picture him as a stripper, and I wondered vaguely if he stretched out like that while he was working. The thought sent an unpleasant shudder down my back.

"Well, it all started this morning when I stepped on Daisy's curling iron, drank sour milk and spewed all over the bathroom and myself. My car broke down, I was late for work, I almost killed a patient, while I stepped on another patient's leg, and said patient punched me in the face. I rode the bus back home with tampons shoved up my nose, got home, after walking up all those steps with my foot, Daisy had a bitch fit and I just…told her to leave. It finally just hit me how much we don't fit together. Besides, she kinda wanted to leave when I told her I'm not going back to practicing medicine anymore." I explained, stealing the joint back as Jasper straightened up to roll up another one.

Rosalie let out a long whistle, leaning back to stare up at me with slightly glazed eyes.

"Wow… You know, to be a smart guy, your kinda slow sometimes," She told me, grinning lazily.

"What?" I asked, confused. I might have been slightly offended had my mind been working properly.

"Well, you've basically been dating a gold digger for over a year, which, I gotta say was pretty obvious, and it's not like Jasper and I never said it before ether, but it took all of this for you to realize that she's a bitch?" I have to admit, she did have a good point.

"Well, I don't even know if we broke up… I just told her to leave, I never actually said that we broke up…" I muttered, but even the thought of dating her again didn't really sound all that appealing. Not even on one of our good days, because like Rosalie and Jasper pointed out, she wasn't good for me.

Besides, I wasn't as upset about losing her as I thought I'd be. Sure, it broke my heart to think that I couldn't be interesting enough for her, or good enough for that matter. If I wasn't good enough for her then I sure as hell wasn't good enough for Bella ether.

"Oh shut it, of course you broke up with her. And this might have started out as a bad day, but it sure as hell turned out to be the best day ever. Let this be known as the day Edward Masen got his balls back!" Jasper exclaimed, punching his free fist in the air as he held the newly rolled joint in the other.

I raised both of my eyebrows at him, snatching the joint out of his hand quickly, staring at him with a sly smile on my face.

"Say, Jasper, your not really one to talk, seeing as you didn't have big enough balls to even tell your best friend and your sister, your own flesh and blood, what you really do at night." I started, looking over at him with a sly grin.

"Huh?"

"I had an interesting talk with Bella Swan yesterday, turns out Jasper here isn't gay after all, he's just a male stripper. Who would have thought?" I said, laughing loudly at his traumatized face.

"WHAT?!" Rosalie exclaimed, sitting up quickly and staring at her brother with a shocked and appalled face.

"What do you mean he's a stripper? Jasper!" Jasper looked around as if he could find somewhere to hide.

"It's just to get me through school! I promise!" He said, both of his cheeks blazing red with embarrassment. He put both of his hands in front of his face, rubbing his eyes as both Rose and I busted out laughing at him. It felt great to get some attention off of myself.

"Stripping Jasper? Really?" Rosalie managed to wheeze out before she had another laughing fit.

"Show us some moves!" I hollered, throwing my head back to laugh some more. It really wasn't all that funny, but with the alcohol and marijuana floating around in my head, anything was amusing.

"Just laugh it up, but you don't know the whole story." He said grouchily, crossing both of his arms over his chest like a child being scolded.

"Then please, do tell," Rosalie gasped, laying her head down in my lap as she stared up at her brother expectantly.

"Well, it allows me to dance, which I love, I earn a shit load of money doing something I actually enjoy. Besides, I get to have a heard of screaming women throwing money at me. What could be better then that?" He said, putting both of his hands behind his head, looking mighty pleased with himself.

"That's the story behind it? Wow Jasper, that's some real deep shit right there." I said, taking another drag of the joint.

"Whatever. I like what I do, and the only reason I didn't tell you guys about it is because I knew you would laugh at me. It's got nothing to do with not having balls. Trust me, _I _have balls. My balls are so big, they make your balls look like, like one of them small nut things, that you like, get at the supermarket. Yeah." He retorted, waiving a finger around at nothing in particular.

"That makes no sense." I said, letting my head fall back so I was staring up at the white sealing. I never realized that there was a huge crack in it before. Sort of like I never noticed how ridiculously unhappy I've been for the past year.

"Just wait until I tell daddy about this," Rosalie muttered, giggling to herself. Rosalie and her dad were really close, probably because they both were interested in wrestling and cars, and she was pretty much the dream son, since Jasper filled the criteria as the girl in the family.

"You can't tell dad! Rosalie, for the love of all that's holey, you _cannot _tell dad." Jasper said seriously, the only thing showing that he was high was his slightly bloodshot eyes.

"He gives me enough grief as it is about being a 'cleaning lady', how do you think he would react if he heard that I'm a stripper? He'll be so ashamed!"

"Honestly, I think he would be proud of you. And your dad doesn't care about what you do. He even wished you luck when you told him it was to get you through college." I pointed out, grabbing my Rolling Rock of the table, taking a healthy gulp as I passed the joint over to Rose.

"You guys are just too blind to read between the lines." He answered, glaring at the both of us through cat like eyes.

"Wait a minute, Jasper never told you he met Bella when he was working. How did you meet up with her?" Rosalie asked, her slow distant eyes staring up at my face, befuddled.

"Oh, right. Well, since I don't work at the hospital, I guess the whole confidentiality thing doesn't really count anymore." I said with a sigh, dragging a hand through my hair, making it stick out in every direction.

"Her cousin, Emmett, got bitten by an Alligator. She was there, taking care of his son for him while Dr. Cullen stitched him up. I kept her company while they found a room for Emmett and she told me how she'd been at a party that Jasper entertained." I said with a snicker, giving Jasper a keen look, which he pointedly ignored.

"Sounds like Bella Swan." Rosalie said with a dragged out laugh, making rings with the smoke.

"She's actually changed a lot. Her best friend is an FBI agent, and she owns her own Tattoo shop-"

"And what a fine FBI agent she is. Little Alice. What I wouldn't do to be with her." Jasper said dreamily, cutting me off as he stared off into space with a stupid smile on his face. "I'm sure that would go over well, the Stripper dating the FBI agent, take that plot line to Hollywood." Rose said with a loud snort, the smoke coming out of her nose this time.

"She's too good for me. Rosalie, you can't imagine how gorgeous she is. She's got bright blue eyes, short black hair, a body to die for. She's got the prettiest, sweetest looking face in the world, hell even her hands are attractive-"

"Okay, okay, we get it, she's pretty." I muttered, giving him an annoyed look as I focused on the TV, using one hand to play with a lock of Rosalie's hair.

"Pretty doesn't even cover half of it. But, alas, my lovely dove is taken by another man, with the name of John." He sighed dramatically.

"Well, send her flowers, draw some attention to yourself." Rosalie suggested, closing her eyes tiredly. She was wearing denim shorts and a plain white t shirt with some grease on it. Normally I'd yell at her to go and change before she stained my couch, but at the moment I couldn't care less about it.

"I do know where she lives… Hey, now that you've finally dumped Daisy, maybe you can ask Bella out on a date and check if Alice want's to come along?" Jasper said, sitting up and shaking my arm like an excited child.

"Are you kidding me? How bout letting the bed get cold first before I jump the next one? Besides, I still love Daisy, even though I know we're never getting back together… I'm not ready to date _anyone_. Not even Bella Swan." I admitted aloud. It was absurd of me to even consider dating Bella.

Not only because I'd just met her once after all these years, but because the woman that I thought I might have a future with walked out of my life today and here I was considering dating someone else. What kind of person did that make me?

"Jasper don't be so selfish. Look, I didn't like Daisy, but I can understand where you're coming from, and we wont pressure you to date anyone. But, I don't think you should just ignore Bella ether." Rosalie said cautiously.

"What do you mean?" I asked, looking down at her angelic face. She was still just as pretty as she was in High School, but she was like my baby sister. Both Jasper and I felt protective of her. Not that she needed protection. She could probably beat both of our asses if she felt like it.

"Well, I know you tried to hide how much it hurt you when Bella left Forks, but… It was pretty obvious to both Jasper and I that you weren't okay. You just focused even more on your school work then usual. She meant a lot to you, and sure, it's five years ago, but… you've known each other since kindergarten. You could at least be friends with her. There's no harm in that." She explained, opening her eyes and staring up at me with a small smile on her lips.

"I guess…I don't really want to talk about it anymore. Let's just watch Spongebob and get high-er." I suggested, changing the subject quickly as I turned the volume up some more to end the discussion. My emotions were too raw and fresh for me to deal with it at the moment. And, like most problems, they never went away by themselves.

Age - 23 - Bella POV 

"Bella! What are you doing here?" Alice asked, genuinely surprised as she opened the door. I raised a brow at her, walking into her cosy, perfect home.

"You mean to tell me that you couldn't see me coming?" I asked, shrugging out of my thin jacket and hanging it up in the closet, knowing that Alice was anal about keeping shit clean.

"Well, I got distracted- Alex don't you dare!" She yelled out, running into the living room. I hurried after her, only to see me little nephew trying to stick a fork into the outlet. Alice ripped the fork out of his hand, whipping her head around to glare at John who was laying on the couch, watching TV.

"You were suppose to watch him while I answered the door." She said calmly, although I could tell she was trying not to lose her shit.

"Relax, the kid is fine, besides, you know it's impossible to watch that little monster." He answered, not taking his eyes off the television.

"That little _monster_, is my nephew, and you will not talk about him that way. Ever. And if you were paying attention to what he was doing in the first place, like you were suppose to, he would never have gotten the fork out of the drawer at all." I sneered, walking over to Alice I took him from her, giving him a quick hug.

"Hey aunt Bella!" He said happily, grabbing a fistful of my hair in his chubby little hand.

"Whatever, like, you _know _it's true, now be quiet woman, I'm watching TV."

"John, can I talk to you in the kitchen for a minute?" Alice said, interrupting me before I could kill her boyfriend. He gave a huge sigh before he got his lazy ass off the couch and followed after her.

John was a small guy, but he was still tall compared to Alice, and he was a body builder, which was pretty gross in my opinion. He was balled, had flat, dull brown eyes placed in a face you could forget while looking at. He was neither interesting or special, and he didn't read books. The guy was a total loser.

"How are you doing little man?" I asked, walking over to my favorite stuffed chair, sitting down with Alex on my lap. He turned around, facing me with both of his feet on ether side of me. He started playing with my hair again, not letting his eyes meet mine.

"I don't like John." He mumbled, his chin hitting his tiny chest. I sighed, dragging my hand through his blond hair, smiling at him.

"Just a few more days and you'll be with your old man again. You're actually turning him gray," I laughed, thinking about earlier today when I'd visited Emmett in the hospital and found a small patch of gray hair in the back of his head. He'd started freaking out, smoothing his hand over it many times as if that would make it go away. It was very entertaining.

"Daddy's turning gray? Where?" He asked, cocking his head to the side like a dog. I pinched his side, giving him a little smile.

"His hair is going gray, it's something that happens to grown ups if they're ether stressed out or worried all the time."

"And _I'm _doing that?"

"Yep,"

"Cool," He answered, sitting back on my thighs, making me laugh some more.

"So, where is Roxanne?" I asked, playing with his hair. Both of his eyes lit up, and he threw himself backwards, rolling on the floor and running out the door before he was even up. He came back seconds later with a huge, obese ferret hanging around his thin neck.

"Hey there little girl," I said, nuzzling her sleek fur with my nose, breathing her in. She smelled like green apple ferret shampoo, something Alice washed her with whenever she was over here. She crooned back at me, her little tongue licking my nose in greetings.

"I've fed her, and I helped Aunt Alice give her a bath, and we've played together all day, and after that she fell asleep." He explained, looking back over at the kitchen where we could hear John's voice rising in volume. Alex gave me a worried look, stepping closer and burying his fingers in Roxanne's fur, as if she could take all his little worries away. It calmed him down to be closer to animals though, giving him some sort of inner peace almost. It was almost unnerving to watch how quickly his expression changed from bothered to puzzled.

"Thank you Alex, you've been very good," I praised him, pretending that I couldn't hair what was being yelled. Alice was trying to get him to calm down, as always, because if it was one thing John had, it was a bad temper. Luckily, he'd never laid a hand on her, he was too scared off Emmett to do that.

"Do you think daddy is happy?" He whispered, his brown eyes huge. I've never really viewed Alex as a smart child, mostly because of all the stupid shit he pulled all the time, but sometimes he surprised the hell out of me with deep questions no kid his age should even be thinking about. It didn't happen too often, but then again we never really knew what went through his head.

He got his silent brooding from Abby, who would often sit and stare out the window for hours, rubbing her baby bump and thinking. She was fresh out of college when she became pregnant, graduating top of her class. Ironically enough, the night Alex was conceived was her first night of going to a club. And also her last.

"Of course he's happy, what makes you say that?" I asked, lifting him up so he was sitting on my lap. Roxanne crawled up and fell asleep in Alex's arms.

"Because Cory told me that I don't have a real family." He said, looking down at the huge Ferret in his arms, his eyes hard.

"Why would he say that? You've got your dad."

"He said that I don't have a real family because I don't have a mom. And daddy says he misses mommy a lot, and that he would do anything to get her back, and he always looks so sad when he talks about her. What if daddy isn't happy with just me? And you always say that he needs a girlfriend." He blurted out, and I could tell that this had been bothering him for a while. I sighed, leaning back in chair with him, putting both of my arms around him.

"Alex, I want you to listen very carefully, your dad is very happy with you, and he loves you very, very much, and you should never doubt that. But your dad loved your mom a lot too. He'd give her the moon if he could." I said, thinking back on how happy and excited he was when they'd started to fall for each other. They were so good together, which made loosing her hurt so much more.

"Then how come he's so sad when he talks about her?"

"Because he wishes that she could still be here, and see you grow up with him. But sometimes bad things happen to very good people. Your mom, Abby, she was the best. She was so nice to everyone, and her cooking was amazing. She could play the guitar like no one else and she had the voice of an angel. She was smart too." I told him, knowing that he loved to hear stories about Abby. Emmett always answered all of his questions, but he would never willingly offer information about her, because it still hurt to think about it.

"I wish I could meet her," He whispered, playing with a strand of my hair. I smiled, laying my cheek on the top of his head. It was so rare for him to be calm and cuddly like this, because he was usually all over the place causing hell on earth wherever he went.

"You do have a proper family, though. A family isn't just a mom, dad and a kid. Sometimes it's just a mom or just a dad, and sometimes it's two moms or two dads. Just because their not all living together doesn't make them any less of a family. Besides, you can tell that snotty little kid that your family is awesome. Just because I'm in it," I said, snorting. He giggled too, snuggling further into my side.

"And you have Alice, RayJ, Marc, Garrett and Kate, Peter and Charlotte, Grandma and Grandpa, Nana and Pops… Tony." I said, frowning. He was still pretty close with Emmett, unfortunately, and he was close with Garrett, one of Emmett's best friends since High School. Kate and I weren't too close, but she was nice and I hung out with her whenever Garrett came over to Emmett's house.

"But what about daddy?" He asked, craning his neck to look up at me.

"What about him?" I questioned, staring down at him with puzzled eyes.

"I know that he misses mommy, but does he need a girlfriend or not?" He asked, slightly exasperated. My mouth formed a little 'o' as I thought carefully about what to answer.

"I'm sure he can figure that out by himself." I said simply, happy with my answer. Apparently, Alex wasn't.

"Just because he's a grown up doesn't mean he knows _everything_. I can find him one, because I'm his chick magnet." He told me, smiling smugly.

"Alex, I really don't think-" I started, but was cut off by the front door slamming shut. Alice walked out of the door, and I could tell she'd been crying. She wrapped both of her arms around her mid section and smiled brightly at Alex.

"Do you want a sandwich before you go to bed honey?" She asked, her soprano voice meek and small. I hated seeing her like this, and it pissed me off to know that this wasn't the first time it had happened ether. And most likely not the last.

"I'm not hungry. But thank you," He answered politely, looking at her with round eyes.

"Alice…" I started, and she shook her head, knowing already what I was going to ask her if she wanted me to take Alex.

"Alright, I'm going to go now. I have to get up early, and I'm going to hang out with RayJ at the shop for a while, finish some last minute stuff." I said, standing up and placing Alex on the floor. I grabbed Roxanne out of his arms, putting her around my neck. I gave Alice a quick hug before I bent down to say goodbye to my nephew.

"Don't worry about that stuff anymore, okay? Your old man is fine, and you are way to young to be thinking about stuff like this. I'll see you when I see you," I said, kissing his cheek and standing up as he nodded, because we both knew it might be a while before we saw each other again.

"I'll call you tomorrow Alice, and we'll talk then," I said with a small smile before I walked out the door and hopped into Emmett's green little peace of crap. I didn't have a car except for the RV, which was getting pretty old now, so I usually skated or walked everywhere or took a taxi or the bus. I was going green and all that.

---

"Don't be alarmed by the awesomeness that's walking through this mighty door, it's only I, the prodigious Bella Swan, with her sidekick, Roxanne!" I yelled when I kicked the door open to the tattoo parlor, holding Roxanne out like a weapon, making the small gang of teens who were sitting on the couch look up in alarm. They were looking through the books while RayJ was tattooing one of their friends. She looked to be a first timer, getting a small dolphin on her shoulder blade.

"Bella! What are you doing here?" RayJ asked, wiping her shoulder once before he put the needle back down on her skin. I put Roxanne on the counter, and she glared up at me for jiggling her around.

"What, we needed an entrance." I muttered, scratching the back of her head before I walked over to RayJ, jumping up on the work bench.

"I thought I'd start with Emmett's design. He's crabby as hell right now from being coped up for so long, and its only day two. But that's Emmett McCarthy for yah," I said, swinging my legs like a little girl. Emmett couldn't sit still for more then an hour, always doing something.

"Wait, did you just say Emmett McCarthy? Like the wrestler?" One of the teens asked, excitement shining in his eyes.

"The one and only," I said, giving him a smile.

"Wow, you know him? Shit, this is huge," He said, looking at his other friends who were staring at him with weird looks on their faces.

"Dude, the guy isn't even here." A girl with short blond hair said, rolling her eyes at her buddy.

"He's my brother. He also works at the zoo you know, with the Alligators. He's a little busy right now but he'll be back to work in about two or three weeks I think." I told him, ruffling my hair up slightly and stretching my arms above my head.

"Sweet," The kid said, flipping his phone out, probably to text some of his friends about the news.

"So, did you see Edward at the hospital today?" RayJ asked, dipping the needle in ink before he continued. He was almost done by now.

"No, but he'd been in Emmett's room five minutes before I got there. Just my luck. But, it doesn't matter, I'm going back to there the day after tomorrow, maybe I'll have better luck then," I shrugged, pretending to not be too bothered by it.

"Well, can you close up tonight then? I've got a hot date, and I don't want to make her wait," He said with a sly grin, not looking away from his work. RayJ was a goofball, but he took his work very seriously.

"Really, going out with Danielle?" I asked, smiling back at him. He'd been trying to get a date with her for over a month, something that was surprising in itself, because usually, girls only took one look at his smile and practically threw their panties at him.

This one, however, he'd had to work for. Sending her flowers at work, going out of his way to talk to her, spending countless of hours and money at the spa just so he could talk to her. It was sweet, and she really did not know how lucky she was to get this much attention from someone like RayJ.

I loved the guy to death, but he was kind of a man-whore, just like Emmett used to be.

"Mhm, she finally gave in. I promised her that if she never wanted to see me again after one date, I'd leave her alone. But I pointed out to her that I at least deserved one chance, and she agreed." Danielle was a French masseuse, with a heavy accent that drew every man's attention towards her. She seemed like a nice girl, a little too girly girl for me, because I usually didn't hang out with people like her. But if RayJ liker her then so did I.

---

The next day, I started getting back into my old, usual routine, with the exception of a one hour delay. I got up at five, took a shower, got dressed and was out the door at five thirty with a bag full of sketches and one sleepy Ferret wrapped around my neck.

"Not this morning Mrs. Pole, I'm running late!" I said, throwing the skateboard on the ground and jumping on it, kicking off on the curb until I had a pretty decent speed. I wasn't the best skateboarder in the world, but Emmett taught me and I'd grown to like it, because it was a great way of transportation, and I'd never been a big fan of bikes.

"Morning Bella," Ben said as I stopped outside the deli on my way to work. Ben usually opened at five every morning, crazy guy that he is, just so he could give people breakfast. He was usually there at four everyday, but didn't open until five. To put it like this, he was single and had way too much time on his hands.

"Hey Ben, just the usual for us." I said, sitting down on one of the chairs outside while he walked in to get me my bag of usual heavenly goodness that consisted of one coffee, scrambled eggs, bacon, two peaces of toast and one roll for Roxanne. Another thing I liked about his shop was the fact that everything was organic, and I suppose it was a little hippy of me but global warming and all that worried me. I was doing my part of saving the planet. Sort of. At least it made me feel better about myself.

"Here you go," He said, handing me my bag, and I handed him a ten dollar bill. It didn't cost that much but I was always in a hurry and I never had time to wait for him with the change so I let him keep it. I stuffed Roxanne into my backpack with her roll, munching happily on her breakfast.

"Bye!" I called over my shoulder, grabbing a pole and swinging around it with the board, turning into the next street like I always did. I was never able to skate home, because of all the people, but now, at five forty-seven in the morning, hardly anyone was out, which is why it was such a surprise when I crashed right into a rock hard body when I rounded the corner. We fell in a tumbling mass of limbs while my skateboard crashed into a car that was parked on the side of the road.

"Oof!" all the air escaped out of the warm body of the man laying underneath me on the sidewalk. I lifted my head up, catching my breath as I looked into the surprised eyes of none other then Edward Masen.

"Edward,"

"Bella," We both said at the same time, making us blush like fools. I scrambled off him, ripping my backpack off and opening it, pulling Roxanne out to make sure that she was fine. She seemed okay, only a little ruffled.

Edward sat up slowly, rubbing the back of his head carefully, wincing when he hit a soar spot. He pulled his hand away only to see that his fingertips were covered in blood.

"Do you always carry a Ferret in your backpack?" He asked me with a chuckle, covering his face with one of his hands while he leaned on the other. He almost looked drunk.

"I'm so, _so _sorry, I wasn't thinking, I was just so focused on getting to the shop and no one's ever out this early- Are you okay?" I interrupted myself, sitting up on my knees and grabbing both of his hands, which were clutching his head.

"The ground is spinning," He answered quietly, squeezing his eyes shut. It was first then when I noticed his bruised, black eye. It looked like he was squinting through it because of the swelling.

"Come on, my shop is one block away. You can lay on the couch there for a while," I said, helping him up. I slung the backpack over one shoulder and picked up my breakfast and skateboard.

I'd never been a big believer of going to the hospital for every little injury. The whole 'Walk it off,' philosophy worked just fine in my books. Which is why Emmett and Alice had to physically drag me there whenever I was sick or had some sort injury.

"Can you walk?" I asked him, as he swayed slightly.

"I'll be fine, it's nothing." He said, supporting himself on the building.

"Sure, sure. Come here," I said, grabbing his waist with one of his long arms around my shoulders. It was almost disturbingly good to be this close to him. He leaned on me while I helped him down the street, and up the steps to the shop. After I'd unlocked everything, I helped him inside. We'd both been quiet up until now, but it wasn't an awkward silence ether.

"Now, what were you doing outside this early?" I asked, because the hospital was the opposite way, and he'd probably be driving if he was going there. Besides, he was dressed in sweatpants and a wife beater, his hair was all over the place and he hadn't shaved yet. He looked perfect, as always. Seriously, the guy could be wearing a paper bag and still make it look hot.

"I live a few blocks away from here, and I needed some breakfast so I was going to Ben's Deli when I ran into you, or, uh, you ran into me," He explained glancing up at me quickly before he looked back down at his hands, self-conscious.

"I have some micro food in the mini fridge in the back if you want some? I kinda landed on my breakfast from the same place…" I explained, holding up the now squished food. Such a shame.

"That sounds nice," He said, giving me a small smile. I beamed back at him, finding my first aid kit underneath the desk. I placed it on the table, and then pulled Roxanne out of my backpack, putting her on the floor. She usually ran around until eight, because that's when we opened and I didn't want her running out of the store if someone opened the door.

"Where did you get the ferret?" He asked, smiling down at her as she fell asleep underneath the table, totally uninterested in the both of us.

"A few days after I left Forks, I met that old guy who lived outside of town, Mr. Clawington? the one who always shot at kids with his pepper corn gun? He was gonna kick the bucket pretty soon and decided that I needed her company more then he did." I said, dabbing some disinfectant shit on the small wound on the back of his head.

"I hope I'm doing this right doc," I teased, holding onto his muscular shoulder as I tried to clean the cut to the best of my ability.

"You're doing wonderfully," He said with a smile in his voice, but his hands were gripping his knees in a vice grip as I worked on his head.

"Do you always skate to work?" He asked, trying to distract himself from the pain, most likely.

"When it's not raining. I've spent so much time driving, it gets kind of old after a while, you know? And besides, my thighs were turning into tree trunks," I chuckled, trying to decide if I should give him butterfly stitches or not. I decided against it, because the bleeding had stopped.

"I have a hard time believing that," He laughed softly with me, only like Masen ever could. Sighing, I straightened up and walked into the backroom, starting our breakfast. I grabbed a blanket and some pillows, handing them to Edward silently while I sat down on the chair opposite him, my hands underneath my thighs to keep them from fidgeting. Since when did I ever _fidget_? And was that nerves in my stomach?

It hadn't been like this at the hospitals cafeteria, but then again there had been people around, and I'd had to keep one eye on Alex the entire time too.

But in the defeating morning silence, with the exception of Roxanne's soft snoring, it suddenly became clear to me just how heavy the air around us seemed, loaded with unspoken words and plain old awkwardness.

"So, how come you look like shit?" _Smooth Bella, he'll jump your bones now_. Palm, meet forehead, I don't think you've met in quite a while.

Masen laughed, grabbing the wet cloth off the table to dab his forehead, wincing a little as the cloth came in contact with his black eye. He shook his head slightly before he looked up at me with those damn green eyes. They seemed so intense, and with a pang I realized that I'd forgotten just how much I'd loved his eyes when we were younger. _Pull yourself together woman, that was a long time ago. _

"I'm sorry, that came out wrong, what I meant was-"'

"It's fine, Bella. I actually didn't go to bed last night, hence being out walking this early. I figured no one in their right mind would be out at this hour so I didn't bother getting dressed, and I was right," He said with a grin, taking me by surprise with his retort. I grinned back, happy to have someone to banter with.

"Touché, old friend, touché." I answered as I got up to get our breakfast. All I had was Mac'n'Cheese, so I handed him one with a fork while I plopped back down in my chair, more at ease now.

"I'm surprised to see you out and about this early," He said after a few minutes of comfortable silence. I glanced up at him, swallowing my mouthful before I asked why.

"Well, I know you told me that you came to work this early, but I guess I didn't really believe you. You can't honestly have that much to do? Don't you have other artists working for you?" He questioned, raising one perfect eye brow at me. I started at his sculptured face one beat longer then necessary before I shrugged, going back to my food.

"Yeah, I do, but they have their own clients. I've got Emmett's tattoo to top everything off, along with orders and maintenance. I'm in charge of keeping everything clean too, cause I'm too cheap to get some cleaning lady to come in her and do it." I admitted sheepishly, poking my food around.

Why was it that my mouth decided to get diarrhea around him now, off all times? Edward had always been bold in his own shyness, making him stumble over his words whenever we spoke. It was like the roles were reversed now, and I wasn't too comfortable with this new development.

"But like I said, I don't mind the workload. I enjoy what I do. What about you, how is the hospital treating you?" I asked, stuffing my mouth before he could ask me another question. Can't talk with your mouth full of food. Ha!

He tensed up slightly, glancing up at me quickly before he looked back down at his dish.

"Great," He answered finally, giving me a small, hesitant smile. I could tell that something was wrong, and if I didn't know better, I'd say he was lying.

I smiled brightly at him. "It'll get better once you get better, Carlisle will help you out," I said confidently. It was understandable that he didn't like what he was doing at the moment, since he sucked at it.

"And think about it when your done with your internship, you'll be an actual doctor, how cool is that?" I encouraged, grinning like an idiot. It was weird, talking like we were old friends meeting up again after years apart, when really, we used to be enemies, attracted to each other, neither having the balls to make the first move before it was too late.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't attracted to him anymore, because he looked a lot better now then he did when we were in high school. Even with the black eye. He was still lanky as always, but he'd lost his gangly self, being replaced with toned muscles and a jaw line that was just to die for. I could see his abs through his wife beater, along with his chest that moved up and down with every breath he took. He'd filled out nicely, and the confidence he now sported was a huge plus too.

"Yeah, it's going to be great." He said, forcing a smile before dropping his gaze again. Sensing that this was a soar subject, I scrambled to think about something else to say.

"Um, so, uh, I didn't see you at the hospital yesterday? When I was visiting Emmett I mean," Gosh, could I sound like a bigger stalker? _What is the matter with you woman?! Pull yourself together!_

"Uh, yeah. I'm sure you've noticed my black eye? They sent me home after one of the patients punched me in the face." No wonder he didn't want to talk about it.

"Ouch," I muttered, staring just a little. He smiled, putting his empty container on the table before he stretched his long, toned arms high above his head. I think I drooled just a little.

"I should probably head home. Jasper is crashing on my couch and he won't be too happy if I'm not there with breakfast when he wakes up." He said with a sheepish smile. I tried not to let the disappointment show on my face. Having him in the shop felt right, and I didn't want him to go yet.

_He's got Daisy you dip shit, she's probably at the apartment too. _

_But he didn't mention her!_

_So she might come over later!_

"Bella?" I snapped out of my inner argument, focusing on the god standing in front of me again.

"Sorry, I space out a lot. Are you sure you don't want to rest for a while? You hit your head pretty hard." I asked, concerned.

"Don't worry about it, I feel much better already. Thanks for breakfast though, I'll have to return the favor pretty soon. I'll give you a call." He said, getting up from the couch slowly. I nodded, wrapping both of my arms around my waist to keep them from hugging him. I don't know what came over me but the urge to touch him was almost overwhelming.

"Sounds good. You know where I work now so feel free to stop by whenever," _Just friends Bella. He is __with__ someone! _

I bent down and picked Roxanne up, keeping my hands busy with petting her. Edward reached over and stroked her slick fur a few times, giving me a small smile before he opened the door and let himself out of the shop with a small wave.

I let out a lung full of air that I hadn't even realized I'd been holding in, and I wanted to slam my head against the door. I'd acted like such a teenager! It was pathetic.

If RayJ could see me now, he'd be laughing his ass off at my expense, and Emmett would tease me mercilessly. Alice would probably gush about how cute we'd look together. Damn fairy…

I put Roxanne on the couch where she curled up in a little ball as I took the pillow and blankets back into my office before I plopped down in my chair, staring at Emmett's half finished design.

He already had a picture of Alex on his arm, covering his entire bicep, which, let me tell you, isn't small at all. And on his forearm, he had a small picture that Alex had drawn. It was a stick figure of himself and Emmett, with some flowers and stuff around. It was cute, and Alex loved to trace his fingers over it.

On his other arm, he had the picture of a pin up girl, with long blond hair and very little covering her except for a pair of gloves. You couldn't really see her face, except for the seductive smile she wore. Needless to say, Alex liked that picture a lot too.

Across one of his knuckles ran the word '_dude_', one finger for each letter spelled out in bold, crocked letters. The only tattoo I'd ever done on him was on his other forearm. It was a very detailed black and gray design of an old, gnarled weeping willow tree, with the silhouette of a man and a woman sitting beneath it. The name Abby was twisted into the roots as they pierced his skin and popped back out again. I was very proud of it.

The reason why he chose a tree was because he'd met Abby underneath one at a party. It was romantic, sweet and sad at the same time.

The one I'd started on now, however, looked more like a picture taken in the outback. It had some Kangaroo's, a lonely tree and some bushes, lizards, a pond with Alligators in it, more specifically, Dexter and Bubble.

I started drawing some mountains to add some depth to it, trying to get my mind away from those damn green eyes. If I focused on work and work alone, I should be fine.

_So much for not being interested anymore. _

_

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**AN: HEY everyone! Okay, no lie, I've worked on this since I last updated, but I've had a huge writers block, which cleared up a few days ago. I'm happy to be back!**

**  
Anyone surprised to see Edward smoke pot? **

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****Review please, because they make my day!**_  
_


	17. SEVENTEEN

Age - 23 - Bella POV

Two weeks passed, and life went on.

Emmett was now out of the hospital, and Alex was back home with him, happy as an uneaten Orange hanging from a tree.

Alice still hadn't gotten her visions under control, which was making her pissy and frustrated and no fun to be around.

RayJ was hit hard by Cupid, and I don't think I've ever seen him happier. He was practically dancing around at work, whistling and humming as he tattooed customers with a huge, love sick, toothy grin. His date with Danielle had gone better then he expected.

And Edward was… gone. I hadn't seen him since I'd literary run into him. He hadn't been at the hospital ether when I'd gone to visit, and Emmett hadn't seen or heard anything from him, which was strange, seeing as Edward was his Doctor, intern or whatever he was called in the medical field.

And me? Well, I was working on a new Design for Emmett, because, according to him the great outback was a place he wanted to go, not something he wanted to have in ink for the rest of his life. I just had to keep trying since he refused to tell me what he wanted.

I was working harder then ever, trying to push thoughts of Edward out of my head. If he didn't want to be friends with me, that was fine. I could live with that. I'd been fine for the past five years, what's the rest of my life? No big deal. _Psh_, I could totally live a perfectly fine life. I didn't need that bronze haired god around…

"RayJ, stop fucking humming that same damn song." I growled as I walked past him, giving him a nasty glare as I ripped the appointment book open to see when my next client would be here. I had his tattoo stenciled and ready to go, and he was running late. _Fucker_.

"Would you like me to assist you in pulling that obnoxiously large tree trunk out of your ass before your client arrives?" He offered politely, batting his long, dark lashes as me innocently. My glare only intensified.

"Raymond James Powell, don't you fucking start with me today," I snarled out, checking quickly to confirm that the client was fucking late, which meant that I'd have to stay later and finish up my paper work. Fan - fucking - tastic.

RayJ put both of his hands up in surrender.

"Bella, honestly, you can't be this mad when the client comes in, you're going to scare the poor kid away before the needle even touches his skin. Besides, it would be bad for business. At least try to act pleasant. Now, take a deep breath, smile and deal with whatever shit you're going through," RayJ knew that there was no way in hell I was going to tell him, or anyone else what was wrong, so he didn't even bother asking.

I nodded my head, closed my eyes and took a deep breath, trying to ignore the face that flashed behind my eyelids, laughing and smiling. He was probably having sex right now with little miss Daisy.

I took another deep breath for good measure and opened my eyes and tried to smile. The expression seemed foreign to me somehow.

"Ugh, never mind, don't smile." RayJ said, smirking as I punched his arm lightly, electing a real smile from me this time.

"There, now you are ready to greet the new victim." He said in a ridiculously dark voice, pecking my cheek before he hurried over to his own client who was looking over at me with huge eyes. The shop was tiny and she'd seen and heard everything.

The reason I was so mad, if I was being honest with myself, was because of this whole fucked up situation. Why would Alice put me in this position? So I now know where he works, and I know that he lives within walking distance of my shop, _and _I have his best friends phone number.

And there was nothing I could do to contact him.

I don't want to be the kind of girl who just so happened to drop by the hospital after her brother was released. I don't want to be the one who looks him up in the yellow pages just so I can call him. And do what? Ask him if he wants to have a drink with me, and tell him to bring his insane girlfriend along? Not bloody likely.

And why hadn't he walked by the shop? Or dropped by and said hi or something? It was like he was wiped off the face of the earth. Or at least Orlando.

"Excuse me? Miss?" There was suddenly a hand waiving in front of my face, and I jumped, looking up only to realize I'd spaced off with a frown on my face.

I put on a fake smile, relaxing my face. It was the young teen who had approached me a few weeks ago from the skating shop. He was getting the All Star converse logo tattooed on both of his feet, where they originally would be if he was wearing Converse shoes. It was a pretty sweet idea, and it would look cool.

"Sorry, just in my own world today. You ready for this?" I asked him, walking over and showing him where he could sit.

"Sure, I've got another tattoo so I know what to expect." He said, jumping up on the bed/table, and started to remove his shoes. Which, ironically enough, were black Converse.

"Sweet, where is it?" I asked, finding the razor to shave off some of the long, brown hair on his legs. Men and their hairy legs.

"Um, on my wiener. It's a cherry…I got it when I got mine popped, so to speak," He said, rubbing his neck awkwardly. I sort of laugh/snorted in a very un-lady like way, giving him a grin.

"That's actually pretty awesome," I said, shaking my head as I placed the stencil over the aria he wanted. I could do this by free hand, but when costumers were involved I usually used a stencil, just to be on the safe side.

"Yeah, it was just a joke to begin with but my friends and I kept laughing about it so I thought it would be pretty funny to actually go through with it." He said, relaxing slightly when he got my approval, it seemed.

"So, are you doing anything special this Thanksgiving?" He asked, leaning back on his hands while he stared intently at my hands as I set to work. Boy didn't even flinch.

"Uh, yeah, I'm just having dinner with the family. Nothing special." Which wasn't really true. My first thanksgiving in Orlando was spent at Burger King, while Alice went to the Cullen's and Emmett decided to go hang out with some of his buddies, which was strictly man business, as he'd put it.

To say that my own mother, curse her, had ever given two flying fucks about thanksgiving would be laughable. She didn't like holidays, and nether did Charlie.

As soon as I was done with Senior year I was out on the road, because I knew Alice was fine with the Cullen's, and I wasn't very worried about Emmett. Roxanne came on the road with me, and she was my only companion for the next four years. I'd stopped by Orlando plenty of times, but never around any holidays.

Which means, this was going to be my first Thanksgiving. At the age of 23, how pathetic isn't that?

"Sounds cool enough," He answered, cocking his head to the side. We chatted about anything and everything while I worked. His name was Troy, and he'd started his first semester at College, and he worked at the skating shop, even though he still lived with his mom, who was a little slow, which is why he didn't move out like all his friends.

"Now that wasn't so bad, was it?" RayJ asked when Troy left, hugging me from behind with his head on my shoulder. I leaned back and gave a long sigh, closing my eyes for a moment. I'd been up since 4 AM, and it was now 8 PM. I still had 3 hours of work ahead of me.

"I guess." I mumbled, opening my eyes, only to see a flash of bright Bronze hair hurry down the stairs from my shop, walking away quickly. _Edward_.

"Shit," I mumbled, untangling RayJ's arms and hurrying over to the door, ripping it open and running out on the street like a mad woman. I stopped short, making people bump into me. It was a Friday night, and my shop was placed on a pretty busy street with a few bars.

I tried to look in the direction he had walked, but I couldn't see him among all the other people.

"Damn it!" I swore, walking back to the shop slowly, fishing a cigarette out of my pocket. I sat down on the stairs, my head in one hand and a cig in the other. People stared as they walked past, but I ignored them. I mean, what the hell do you expect to see when you walk past a tattoo shop? A little girl dressed in pink with a fucking bow in her hair?

"What the hell was that?" RayJ asked from the door, staring down at me with confused and slightly hurt eyes. Shrugging, I turned away from him, spitting at the ground.

"Bella, at least tell me _something_? It doesn't have to be about feelings or crap like that, just, give me something woman." He exclaimed, walking down the steps to kneel in front of me.

"Edward was standing at the top of the stairs, and he saw us, you know, hugging or whatever, and he ran away. I couldn't see his face, but I know it was him." I muttered, feeling my cheeks burn.

"Ah,"

"Yeah," I took another drag, staring in the direction Edward had gone off to. It shouldn't matter to him if another guy is hugging me. I've met him twice in the past five years, dude's got a fucking girlfriend, and I was free to do whatever I wanted with whoever I wanted, no matter how innocent things were between RayJ and I.

"I thought you said he was dating that Daisy woman?" He asked casually, trying to make it seem like it was no big deal. Even though we both knew that it was.

I might not admit it to anyone, I even had a hard time admitting it to myself, but it was pretty obvious to me and everybody else that I had strong feelings for Masen. I don't know when I realized this, but I was falling hard and fast. My want for him was almost disturbing.

It's like my mind didn't understand that it's completely stupid and irrational to fall for someone after such a long time. And didn't it comprehend that it's socially unacceptable to be so pathetic as to fall for someone who's not only taken, but a person you don't even know anymore? The whole thing was ridicules, and I still couldn't control my feelings.

"He is, as far as I know. Not that I would anymore, I haven't seen-" I stopped short, embarrassed. It wasn't relevant, and it was private.

I hadn't told anyone about crashing into to him, not even Alice. I'm pretty sure she was too occupied with her own visions to be bothered with such small details anyway.

"Bella...this needs to stop. You've been moping for over a week now, it's time to face the facts. He isn't available, it's not going to happen, deal and get over it. Find another guy. Your dry streak has been amazingly long, it's time for some action." He said, clapping his hand down on my shoulder, making a large smacking sound.

"Just, get back to work or something. And I'm not having a dry streak, I've been busy." I snapped, taking another drag while I stared at an old couple that was walking down the street, hand in hand.

"I'm done for the day, and I'm meeting up with Danielle for drinks. You should join us, she would like to get to know you some more. And you haven't had sex in over two months. _Two months _woman. If that's not a dry spell then I don't know what is." He said challengingly, arcing one perfect brow at me while he crossed his arms in a way only he could.

"Fine, I'll go, but I'm not promising anything. I wont just pick some random guy for the heck of it." I said, standing up slowly, stretching my stiff legs and rolling my shoulder. Being hunched over all the time really did a number on my spine, as well as other tattoo artists, but it was a small price to pay in exchange for doing what you love for a living.

"Why not? That's never been a problem for you before." He commented, holding the door for me as we walked in together. Mark was drawing something up, paying little to no attention to us what so ever. But that wasn't unusual.

"Well, I'm, you know." I said, waiving my hands around wildly.

"I'm afraid I don't know," He answered, staring at me as if I was demented. Sighing, I dropped my arms to my side, letting my chin hit my chest.

"Just, let me get some money." I mumbled, dragging my feet into the backroom. I stuffed some cash in my jean pocket, pulling my bright yellow t shirt down a little further. It was surprisingly chilly for Florida tonight, but still warm. It sort of reminded me of a Washington summer night.

"We're just going to the bar," Which means we were going to our place, "I took Danielle there the other night, and she loved it."

"Hey Mark, do you want to come with?" I called out, putting some perfume on that I always kept in my office.

"Hmm, spending the rest of my night painting in my apartment, with some nice, classical music and a glass of wine, or going to a bar with the two of you, where I most likely have to watch RayJ sticking his tongue down some poor girls throat and you gamble away money you don't have while you flirt with everything that has male genitals. Though choice, though choice indeed." He answered dryly, not once looking up from his drawing.

"It happens one time and he won't let it go," I said with a grin, winking at RayJ as he tried to suppress his own laughter.

It had been a very successful night for both RayJ and I. RayJ went home with two lovely young girls and I went home five thousand dollar richer and quite the handsome guy hanging off my arm. Mark had only stayed to watch me loose more money then I had before he left, claiming we were both idiots.

"Well, you know where we are if you change your mind. If anyone calls just take a message and tell them to call tomorrow. I don't want to be disturbed tonight." I said, walking out the door without waiting for an answer, RayJ hot on my heels as we started walking. It was pretty far away, but we didn't mind walking.

"So, I know this is going to be a stupid question, but do you want to talk about it?" He asked, showing his hands in his pockets as we walked down the street together, people dodging out of our way, staring openly, even though they could only see our arms, because the rest was covered with clothes.

We were both pretty used to it now though. I'd long since stopped being annoyed by it, because in the end, they would keep staring no matter how irritating it was.

"There is nothing to talk about, so just drop it. Like you said, I need to get over it, and talking about it wont make that happen, now will it?" I asked rhetorically, lighting up a cigarette, handing it to him before I took one for myself.

"No, I suppose you're right." He muttered, a concerned look in his eyes.

"So, changing the subject, do you think little Alice would like to come along?" He asked, trying to lighten my mood. I gave him a wry grin, shaking my head slightly.

"I highly doubt that, considering how stressed she is right now."

"The visions still aren't working then?"

"Nope," I answered, popping the 'p', blowing some smoke out of my mouth.

"Strange. Maybe she'd need a night off-" My phone beeped loudly once, signaling a new text message.

_I don't want 2 go out 2 night, I'm working_ - Alice

"-too, relax a little. She needs it," RayJ finished, and I showed him the text, making him chuckle.

"Creepy," He muttered, glancing at me playfully. I grinned up at him, because hanging with RayJ always made me happy, no matter how down I'd felt all day.

The tourists started to thin out, the further we got into the bad side of town. I wasn't scared off walking these streets though, because I had no reason to.

All the drugs that people sold around here happened behind closed doors, and there was hardly ever a shootout between any gangs, because they kept to themselves for the most part.

Another reason why people found it scary was because there was a lot of homeless people around here, living in alleys and begging on the side of the road. It was dirty, quiet and ere. But it was _our _place. Besides, they had great beer.

"Danielle!" RayJ called, his face breaking into a huge smile as he spotted the petite woman standing by the bar.

Danielle was gorgeous, to put it lightly. She was around the same size as Alice, only a little bit taller, because come on, who isn't taller then Alice?

She had long, pitch black hair flowing down her back in curly waves, with almond shaped gray eyes placed perfectly on her face. She had a curvy figure, her skin tone just a little bit darker then my own, which was pretty damn pale.

She was a nice girl, from the few times I'd met her while getting a massage. She had no tattoo's though, and her style was closer to Alice's then my own. She was classy, which is why she was so hesitant to date RayJ.

"RayJ, Bella, it is lovely to see you both," She kissed RayJ on the cheeks twice and once on the lips, lingering there a little before she walked over to me and kissed my cheeks three times.

"_Faire la bise_, it is how we greet people in France. I ordered beer for us, my treat," She said happily, with her heavy French accent. She'd only moved to the states a few months ago, so it was a little hard to understand everything she said. It would be interesting to see how much I'd understand after I got a few beers in me.

"Thanks Danielle, lets grab a table, shall we?" I said, gesturing to the usual spot we always had.

"I like this plac_es_, it is very nice." She said, and I could tell she was concentrating on the English to get it right. RayJ looked at her with almost loving eyes. It was weird seeing him stare at a girls face rather then her rack.

"So, how was work?" She asked nervously, trying to fill the silence. The usual guys who sat in the back playing poker looked over at our table curiously. Her seductive voice was hard to ignore. I'm pretty sure she could read from the dictionary and have every single guy in the room hang on to her every word.

"We had a fainter today, which was pretty funny. It was this huge biker dude, with absolutely no ink, in his mid forties. He wanted a huge skull on his bicep, so ten minutes into what would have been a four hour tattoo session, the guy faints and has to lay on the couch for an hour to recover." RayJ said excitedly, chuckling. She smiled up at him with sickeningly adoring eyes.

It probably wouldn't have bothered me much if it hadn't been for Edward. Watching them was like a slap in the face, knowing that I now, for the first time wanted what they had, and it was being dangled in front of my face, and I couldn't have it. Life is unfair.

"Yeah, the guy is walking around with a quarter of an outline. He had to reschedule, poor guy," I said, shaking my head, thinking of the guy walking out on unsteady feet.

"Wow, I don't think I could handle the pain ether. Poor man." She said, shaking her head, her eyes huge. I grinned at her.

"You'd be surprised. It sort of feels more like a bee sting then anything, and after a while you can't really feel it." I said with a shrug, just as the beer was being served.

"Merci beaucoup," She said, batting her eyes at the bartender. He grunted as he placed our beer on the table, giving us all a weird look as he slung the dirty rag over his shoulder.

"Well, that's the biggest response we've ever gotten from him," I said with a laugh, sipping my beer. It was icy cold, and the rich taste filled my mouth. I savored it before I swallowed.

"Don't listen to Bella, she can hardly feel any pain at all. It does hurt, a lot." He whispered in her ear, biting her ear lobe playfully while drawing her closer to his side. She giggled, slapping his chest lightly.

"So not true dude, I cried like a little girl when I got my nipples pierced." Not quite true, but it's the most painful thing I've done so far. I had considered to split my tongue, but I liked my tongue ring too much. And I'm pretty sure _that _would have been the most painful thing I'd done, if I'd gone through with it.

"You did _not_! I was there, and all you did was squeeze your eyes shut."

"You were there when she got her nipples pierced?" Danielle asked, her smile faltering just a little. My eyes flashed to RayJ, who looked a little panicked and pleading. I shook my head at him, disappointed.

"You might want to tell her everything, J. I'm gonna go have a cig while you guys talk this out. Danielle, I want you to know all of this happened 3 years ago and I have no feelings for your guy what so ever, and vice versa. You have nothing to worry bout." I said with a smile, ignoring the glare RayJ was searing into the side of my head.

Standing up, I grabbed my beer and walked out, sitting at one of the chairs, placing the beer on the table as I fished in my pocket for a lighter.

"Bella?" A familiar voice asked, and I looked up, only to see Jasper stare at me from the other side of the street. He'd just walked out of a building you really shouldn't be in unless you are buying something illegal.

Seriously, the guy in there could get you _anything_. Emmett used to sell weed to the guy, hence how we know about this bar. But what was little Mr. Stripper doing in there?

"Jasper? What are you doing here?" I asked, finally finding the lighter. I lit up the cig hanging from between my lips as he walked across the street, plopping down in a seat diagonally from mine.

"You know, little of this, little of that." He said with a devilish grin, putting his backpack down.

"Alright then," I said with a laugh. It wasn't my place to pry, so I didn't. I knew enough people who were involved with drugs to know that it really wasn't all that important. They were still great people.

"So who are you here with?" He asked, gesturing to the bar.

"I'm meeting my friends girlfriend. He is now explaining to her that we had sex a few years ago. Word vomit wise this night is going great." I said, taking a drag while I chuckled, coughing slightly. _I really need to cut down on cigarettes. _

"Want one?" I offered, holding the pack out.

"Trying to quit," He said, smiling shyly.

"So did you ever get your breakfast that morning?" I asked before I could stop my mouth. So much for word vomit restrictions.

"What morning?" He asked, looking intrigued.

"The morning I ran over Edward with my skateboard. It's what, one or two weeks ago now? I can't really remember." _15 days to be exact. _

"Oh, yeah, he mentioned that. Poor guy, on top of everything else that happened he gets assaulted by you too." He said with a chuckle, grabbing a cigarette and lit it up, ignoring his earlier statement. I raised an eyebrow in question.

"There's always tomorrow." He laughed.

"So what do you mean, 'on top of everything else'" I asked, more curious then I'd ever admit aloud. Secretly I was dying to know what had happened.

"Well he lost his job, his car broke down, he got punched in the face and he left Daisy, on the same day. What are the chances for that ever happening? You only ever read about that shit, or it happens in movies. I seriously think Edward is cursed though, he has the worst luck ever." Jasper rambled, unaware of the huge celebration happening in my head.

He left Daisy. He left her. As in, they weren't together anymore. He was free, single, alone, a bachelor, up for grabs. And he probably needed a shoulder to cry on. I could be a friend. Right? Just like Alice had suggested all along.

"Wait, he lost his job? The day before he ran into me?" I asked, confused. Why didn't he tell me?

"Yeah, all of it happened in one day. Not really a full one, more like a half day. But still, it's pretty intense." Jasper babbled. It was weird to see such an attractive guy act like such a… kid. Most of the attractive people I knew were serious assholes who thought they were better then everyone else and regarded themselves as high class. Not that my friends were ugly, but they were more down to earth.

Jasper though, just acted like such a kid. It was a little adorable, to be honest.

"But he told me that he was still going to be a doctor, he never mentioned that he lost his job. I am such an asshole!" I groaned aloud, smacking a hand to my forehead.

"I was sitting there, babbling on about how great it will be when he becomes a doctor." I said, shaking my head at my own stupidity.

"Ah, he'll probably be really pissed at me now then. I thought he told you about everything that happened. I have a good idea of why he didn't tell you though," He said, sucking on the cig as if it was a lifeline. I took a healthy gulp of my beer. I felt like I needed it.

"Spill,"

"Okay, so Edward has always kinda had this perfection complex going on. He _has _to be perfect, at everything he does. He absolutely hates disappointing people. So when you said it would be great that he'd be a doctor, he probably figured that that's what you wanted him to be, so instead of disappointing you and telling you that he got fired, he just went along with it so you'd still be happy. Also doesn't help that the fight that split Edward and Daisy was because of him loosing his job.

"Apparently, the only reason she dated him was because she thought that he would be a surgeon, and she wants to marry one some day. Kinda sick, isn't it? But good riddance, that chick is a bitch. And her boobs are fake, but don't tell anyone because I'm technically not suppose to know that. I just think it's funny, so I tell everyone." He said, chuckling as he took another drag.

"But that is so _dumb_! I don't care about what he does as a living! Why would he even care bout what I have to say? I need to apologize though, that was really inconsiderate of me." I muttered, more confused then ever.

"Eh, don't worry bout it. He's a dumb shit for not saying anything. It's not like you could have possibly known. He was going back to Ben's Deli to get some food for tonight while I got something. For a friend of course," He lied smoothly, knowing that I could see right through him.

"Ah. Yeah, he walked passed the shop today, or ran is more like it. I don't know if he looked through the window though," He only ran down the steps without peeking in. Yeah, not likely. He probably thought that I was dating RayJ.

"He probably did, curious little fucker that he is. He talks about you all the time, but don't tell him I said that or he'd have my balls on a platter." He chuckled nervously.

I blushed, looking down at my beer. So he _was _thinking about me then? I don't think I've felt such a strong current of butterflies in my stomach before. It was a little disturbing, to be honest.

When the hell did I turn into such a flustered little girl?

"So, I was wondering. You know that Alice chick, your FBI friend?" Jasper said casually, leaning back in the little metal fold up chair.

"What about her?" I asked, distracted.

"Well, I know she's got a boyfriend and all, but is it really serious between them? I mean, could I meet up with you and accidentally run into her at a bar or something?" He asked hopefully.

"Hmm…" This could be sort of a real payback for her pulling the whole Dexter stunt, and I knew that Jasper wasn't dangerous. I could help him, and annoy the hell out of her.

"Okay, what I am about to tell you is probably going to come back and bite my ass, but Alice… deserves this, so to speak. Pay back time," I said, hoping her visions cleared up long enough for her to get a vision of this.

Jasper stared at me with slightly confused but with eager eyes.

"So, how old do you think Alice is?" I started, enjoying myself more then I probably should. Besides, whatever would keep my mind off of Edward for a while was a welcomed thought. I needed time to process everything I'd learned.

"I don't know, she works for the FBI so older then us, probably. 24, 25 maybe? She doesn't look that old though." He added as an after thought, dragging one hand over the blond scruff adorning his chin.

"Alice just turned 21, got the job with the FBI as soon as she was out of high school. She's never attended College, but she's still got her own driver and more power there then most people twice her age could only dream of. She's been in training, obviously, but she never had any schooling in this stuff. Now could you possibly think why the FBI would do such a thing?" I asked, cocking an eyebrow at him expectantly.

Predictably, as if _I _was the psychic one, I got a text message.

_Say one more word and I'll call Edward and tell him about your undying love for him!!!_ - Alice

This was a though one, because I knew she was going to call him and tell him. Alice was not one to bluff when it came to threats.

So, conversation with Edward later, explaining that Alice is a fucked up nut job, and telling Jasper everything he needed to know about Alice to woo her brittle little heart.

_OR_, I could make up some bullshit right now and avoid the whole mess.

Decisions, decisions… It was almost laughable. As if I'd pass up a reason to talk to Edward Masen. Besides, my inner teenager, who was making an appearance more often then usual these days, was begging me to cause some sort of trouble in some type or form. This would be harmless enough.

_Go for it ;)_ -Bella

"Well?" I asked when he didn't answer. He snapped out of his little trance.

"So she's smart _and _beautiful?" He asked in an almost breathless voice, and I had to remind myself that the boy was going to be a drama teacher for a reason.

"Yeah, but that isn't why. Jasper, do you believe in psychics?" I questioned, sipping my beverage while I waited politely for him to answer.

_Bella I swear you'll regret this_ - Alice

_I'm sure I'll live_ -Bella

_I have your ferret_ -Alice

My smile slipped slightly. Alice had this ridicules idea that Roxanne should be pink. She'd even bought animal hair dye from Japan. One thing I really loved about Roxanne was her long, silky fur coat. Not only was it soft, but it was gorgeous too. Animals should be natural, no matter how many times she assured me that the dye was safe.

"I guess, I've never thought much about them though. Why? Is Alice one?" He asked after a while, staring sideways at me.

_Pink ferret, telling Jasper, pink ferret, telling Jasper, pink-_

"Yes, yes she is." Hope Roxanne wouldn't be _too _mad for turning pink.

"Really? So does she help the FBI solve crimes and stuff then? I cant say I'm surprised. Someone as amazing as her… it's easy to tell that she's special, isn't it?" He mused, a content smile on his face.

_I want you to know that your ferret is already pink, and I am not talking to you anymore_ -Alice

I grinned, knowing that we would talk about it later anyway.

"Yup. She's a special one alright. The guy she's dating though, John? He might be short, but he is one big motherfucker. A body builder, in fact, so I'd watch out for him. He can be a little possessive. Alice's favorite flower is orchids, surprisingly enough. She's a pushover, and serious as hell about her job. I'll give you the address so you can send her some flowers at work. Just, don't go overboard, because she hates getting attention at work." I over shared happily. If you're digging your grave, you might as well dig it deep.

"Thanks Bella, I owe you one. Really," He said gratefully, zipping his back pack open and pushing away a surprisingly big amount of my old friend Mary Jane.

I'd all but stopped smoking pot, deciding to focus more on my work rather then partying. Although, if I sat down to paint, I knew the best ones would be produced while I was higher then a satellite.

I'd never done any other type of drugs, except for the shit Renee used to put in my food at night when I was a teen so I wouldn't sneak out at night. To this day I still don't know what it was, but I swear it could put a rhino to sleep.

He pulled out a pen and wrote all her phone numbers down, her work and home address along with where she stopped every morning for coffee.

"Are you going to hang out here for the rest of the night with your friends or do you want to head back to Rose and I with me? We're having a little get together with some friends," He said, looking over at me hopefully.

"I don't know…" Danielle and RayJ would probably be fine if I left, if not happy. Besides, it had been a little awkward in there, and I had met her, which was the whole point of the evening.

"Edward's going to be there,"

"Just let me get my wallet." I said, standing up quickly. He grinned at me as I hurried off inside, flicking the cig out on the street as I went.

"So, everything out in the open?" I asked, grabbing my wallet off the table.

"Yes. I am not sure I like it, but I trust you both. RayJ told me about Edward, and I can tell when someone is in love. And I think I can safely say that you aren't interested in RayJ." She said with a small smile.

"Got that right. So, I just got invited to this party, and, uh, Edward's going to be there, so-"

"Just go Bella, I'll see you tomorrow." RayJ said with a smile, waiving me off. I smiled back, a little embarrassed that he knew why I was leaving and all but there wasn't anything I could do about it now.

"Bye guys!" I called over my shoulder, running out on the street to Jasper.

"So, do you live far away?" I asked, putting my fingers through my belt loops to keep them busy. I was more nervous then I'd like to admit.

"We live on the edge. Kinda between the good and bad side of town, only further south, so it's pretty far. Edward lives seven blocks away from Ben's Deli. He's only picking up food for us though, cause people aren't really going to come until a few hours…" He trailed off, smiling sheepishly.

"Sweet, then I get to talk to Rosalie for a while too." Rosalie was actually one of the few people who hadn't annoyed me in Forks.

I knew their Dad, who was a pretty awesome guy, but I never really talked much with her or Jasper before. Even if they were home when I came over to discuss tattoo's or do some work around the house for him. He knew Charlie, and felt sorry for me. I hated to be pitied, but I was in desperate need of money, seeing as all of my income went towards the RV.

I regretted not saying bye to him when I left.

"Yeah, she should be home right now. She just got off work, so she wanted to relax a little. Some of the guys from the shop where she works is going to be there, and some other people that we know. It's not going to be a huge party or anything." He ranted.

"Is that why you bought so much Mary Jane?" I asked before I could stop myself. Shrugging, he pulled the backpack up a little with one hand before letting it drop back.

"No, it's not for the party. I just don't like to buy it in small amounts. This will last me for over a year." He could get a whole hospital high with the amount he'd bought.

"Change?" A homeless guy asked, clinking his banged up metal cup on the ground.

"There's a Burger King right around the corner, do you want us to get you something there instead?" I asked kindly, making Jasper, who'd kept on walking, stop and turn around with a bewildered look on his face.

The homeless guy looked up, surprised that someone actually stopped. A group of people passed us, giving me the same look Jasper was. I ignored them.

"Uh… sure." The man said, sitting up a little.

"Tell me what you want and I'll go get it for you." He wanted the biggest menu with a chocolate milkshake, so I told him to stay put as I strolled passed Jasper and headed for the burger joint.

"Why didn't you just give the guy some money?"

"Because, most places they wont sell homeless people food, and he is almost skinnier then I am. He needs some real food." I explained.

Jasper waited outside while I ordered the food. I'd seen a few other people down the alley too so I went a little overboard.

"Wow, how much did you get?!" He exclaimed, taking one of my bags to help me carry it.

"I spent 50 bucks on burritos, muffins, drinks, burgers and fries. This should keep them full for a while." I answered with a smile. It wasn't the first time I'd done this, but I usually only did it if people asked. It was weird to just randomly hand someone a burger if they didn't ask for anything at all.

"Here you go, and this is for some of your friends too." I told him, putting the bags down in front of him. He wasted no time with ripping a bag open, stuffing his face with a burger.

"Thanks miss." He mumbled, and I gave him a smile before I walked away with Jasper. He hadn't said much.

"I feel bad now," He muttered, looking over his shoulder as we walked.

"Why?"

"Well I just spent all my money on pot and you spend yours on feeding the homeless." He exclaimed, giving me a sidelong glance.

"Yeah, but keep it to yourself. It's really not that big of a deal to me, and I do it all the time, so no mentioning it to other people, alright?" I asked, shoving my hands in my pockets awkwardly.

"Why not? It's a good deed. You're not doing anything wrong." He said, staring down at me. Jasper was almost the same height as Emmett.

"Because it's no big deal, and not worth mentioning. The only reason Alice knows is because she saw me do it in a vision." I tried to explain, feeling silly. It just wasn't something I wanted everyone to know.

"Sure…" We walked the rest of the way in a comfortable silence, with Jasper glancing over at me every now and then.

"Rose! I'm home!" Jasper yelled, flinging his backpack on the floor in the narrow hallway. He didn't take off his shoes so I didn't bother to ether. We were on the third floor in a pretty crappy apartment building. It made me thankful for my own place, no matter how messy it was.

"Finally! Did he give you any trouble?" Rose called back. Jasper and I walked into the kitchen, where you could see the tiny living room. It was separated by a small island.

"Not at all, but look who I ran into." Jasper said, stepping to the side so Rose could get a better look at me.

"Bella?" She asked, cocking her head to the side, grinning slightly.

"Hey Rosalie." I gave a small waive, feeling a tad bit out of place. It was awkward knowing that Edward would be here in a few moments, and the fact that they both knew I was only here for him made it just a little bit worse.

"Wow, you look so different, but… exactly the same," She said with a laugh, shaking her head slightly as she looked me over, focusing on my tattoos and face more then anything. But she was smiling, which is always a good sign.

"Jasper? I hope you got a lot because I need to get fucked up, now- Bella?" I whirled around quickly, feeling my heart slamming in my chest almost painfully. I wouldn't be surprised if they could all hear it thumping.

Edward was standing in the doorway to the living room in nothing but a towel that hung low on his hips, small drops of water running down his muscled chest and that delicious V shape that made me go stupid with lust. I've never been so jealous of water in my entire life.

"Hi, Edward." I squeaked. Fucking _squeaked_. Clearing my throat, I tried to concentrate on his face rather then his abs. He pushed some of his wet hair out of his face, looking embarrassed and ashamed.

"Um, what I meant was, did you get some booze?" He corrected himself, straightening up just a little as he focused his gaze on Jasper, who was sitting at a Bar stool with a cold beer in hand.

"What are you talking about? There's already booze here. I got pot though, it's in my bag if you want some." Jasper answered, oblivious to Edwards murderous glare and flaming red cheeks. This was clearly something he did _not _want me to hear.

Rosalie smacked him hard on the back of his head, glaring at her twin with icy blue eyes.

"Jasper you idiot, he obviously doesn't want her to know. I'm sorry Bella, I think Dad dropped him a few times on the head when we were little." Rosalie apologized, wringing her hands as she stared at me with concerned eyes, her gaze flickering between Edward and I.

"Don't worry about it. I smoke too, it's no big deal. Um, Edward, could I talk to you for a second?" _And maybe help you remove that towel of yours? _

Surprised, he nodded, seemingly too embarrassed to form a sentence. He spun around quickly, grabbing his towel with one hand and tugging at his hair with the other. _My god, even his back was sexy… _

It was hypnotizing to watch the muscles of his back move with each step he took. He was just so…so, _gorgeous_. I almost crashed into him when he stopped to open a door, holding it open for me as he flicked on the lights. It was a small bedroom without any windows in it. The walls were white, and I felt the urge to paint something pretty on them. If it was one thing I hated it was unpainted walls. They just had so much potential.

"Bella, I don't know how to say this, but I don't want you to think any less of me for smoking pot. I promised I haven't been doing it a lot. I mean, lately I have, but I can explain-" He started to ramble. Apparently Jasper wasn't the only one with the habit.

Placing one finger on his lips, thrilled at the sensation of his soft skin beneath my finger, I shushed him gently. His vibrant green eyes widened slightly, but he shut up immediately. I could feel the heat rolling of off him.

"I would in no way think any less of you Edward, don't ever think that. Besides, how much of a hypocrite wouldn't I be if I got mad at you for doing something that I do myself?" I questioned, moving back from his still form. While I was talking, he'd parted his lips slightly.

I sat down on the bed, crossing my legs beneath me- this was a safer distance. I didn't want to do anything foolish. _Just friends_.

When he didn't say anything, I decided to keep talking. "How come you didn't tell me you lost your job the other day? I mean, I can understand that you didn't want to tell me everything else, it's really none of my business, but I feel like such an ass for going on and on about how great you'd be as a doctor. I don't care if you were a garbage man for a living as long as you're happy. Hell, my opinion shouldn't even really matter to you." I said honestly, picking at the blanket with one tattooed hand.

Edward sighed, sitting down beside me, shifting the towel slightly. If it was up to me he wouldn't be wearing a towel at all. Suddenly RayJ's words rang in my head. "_You haven't had sex in over two months. Two months!"_

_Don't I know it_.

"So Jasper babbled, huh?" He asked, evading the question. I nodded, motioning for him to go on.

"I just- you looked so hopeful, and with everything that- _of course _I value your opinion- I mean. _Ugh_, I'm not making any sense." He muttered, closing his eyes briefly.

"Jasper told me what happened, so you don't have to tell me. I just want you to know that you don't have to lie or hide things from me. I mean, I know we aren't exactly friends who hang out all the time, but I do consider you as one of my friends. What I'm trying to say is that I don't want our friendship to start off with lies and half truths. Because I'd like us to be, you know, friends." I said awkwardly, rubbing the back of my neck. But at least I'd said it. It was out there and up for grabs.

Edward looked slightly disappointed for some reason, and he didn't meet my eyes.

"Friends… I'm kind of at rock bottom right now. I don't know if I'd be a very good friend to you." He said carefully. I put on a blank mask to hide how much his words hurt me.

"I have a friend who actually, literally lives in a dumpster. I'm pretty sure you can't stoop lower then that. Besides, I'm not expecting much from you. I just think that there's a reason I've ran into Jasper twice in a row now, and I don't feel like tempting fate." I said, trying to get him to change his mind.

Edward grinned, lifting his head slightly.

"The mighty Bella Swan believes in fate, eh? Well, I wouldn't want to piss off fate." He mumbled shyly, looking at me sideways. I bumped his shoulder lightly with my own, ignoring the skin to skin contact.

"I just think everything happens for a reason." I defended, standing up.

"You should probably get dressed, so I'll go out and chat with Rose about bras and tampons, you know, real girly shit," I said with a grin, making him laugh loudly. Shaking his head, he rose from his place too.

Hesitantly, he lifted a hand as if to touch my hair or face, but decided against it, letting his long, elegant arm drop. I walked out, my face on fire.

_Did I really just have that conversation with Edward Masen? _

"Did you guys get to talk?" Jasper asked as soon as I entered the living room. I took the seat next to him as Rosalie worked on some snacks. Checking out my nails for a while, I decided to answer before he pissed himself.

"Nah, we decided to have wild crazy sex instead. Unfortunately, it didn't last very long," I said with a dramatic sigh that could rival Jasper any day. He gaped at me for a few seconds while Rosalie snorted loudly, shaking her head.

"I like to think I have more stamina then that." Edward said from behind me, making me jump. Seriously, the guy had a talent for sneaking up on people.

"Hey Edward, could you come help me with the food?" Rosalie asked before I could come up with something witty. I silently thanked her, because I think Edward's good looks broke my brain.

He was dressed in jeans and a tight fitted black tee shirt with _Boondock saints _scribbled elegantly on the front. His hair was sticking up everywhere, still damp. And god did he smell _good_.

"Sure," He answered, walking over to her side quickly.

"You cook?" I asked, surprised. I'd never take him as the domestic type. He looked like he should be on a runway, not this tiny kitchen.

Now that I knew he was single, my mind seemed to be on overdrive. He probably wasn't ready to date anyone for a while, but if I stayed close while he got over little miss psycho, I could grab him before anyone else got their filthy claws on him. He'd been interested in me once, why not again?

"Cook, clean, bake, mix, you name it, Edward can do it. He is excellent in the kitchen, and _other _places." Rosalie said, giving me a sly look over his shoulder. She was almost as tall as him. I grinned when his cheeks pooled red, hunching his shoulders slightly.

Even now, he was still the same guy on the inside.

"Really now?" I teased, loving the way he cleared his throat awkwardly, glaring at Rosalie quickly.

"You've met my mother Bella, there is no way in hell she'd ever let me out of the house without learning how to clean and cook for myself." He reasoned, ignoring the other remark. I felt a thrill go through me as my name practically rolled off his tongue.

"Elizabeth, right?" As if I didn't know her name. She'd yelled at me more then once growing up. She'd even showed up at my house once, but she stopped yelling at me after that. No, after that she'd look at me with pity and sigh that same old sad sigh. It used to bug the hell out of me.

"Yup, that's her. God I love that woman, she makes the most amazing food. I can't wait for thanksgiving!" Jasper blurted, a little tipsy already.

"So you're all going back to Washington for Thanksgiving?" I asked conversationally. It was hard not to stare at Edwards face as he concentrated on what he was doing, a little crease appearing between his perfectly sculpted brows.

"Yeah, we do it every year. Our dad comes over to Edwards house and his dad will be there, sometimes. If he's not in Olympia or Seattle that is." Rosalie explained, putting some old jazz tunes on. I recognized Frank Sinatra's voice right away. Jazz was one of my guilty pleasures, and I usually got most of my work done while I listened to the catchy, soothing tunes. Listening to jazz was like being high, creative wise that is.

"What about you?"

"Um, I'm actually spending it with Edwards old boss, Carlisle Cullen. He and his wife sort of adopted Alice Brandon, one of my closer friends, a few years back. Emmett used to live with them for a while too when he was a teen." I decided not to tell them that this would be my first thanksgiving.

I'd always seen it in movies, and I enjoyed all the discounts that came with holidays, but I never really celebrated anything.

"You told me you were going to live with Emmett and his parents when you left," Edward said suddenly. He stopped chopping vegetables and turned to look at me expectantly. He stared at me openly, and I suddenly felt naked, as if his intense eyes could see straight through me and all my bullshit.

"Uh, yeah… Emmett's mom, my mothers sister, she's dead. And his dad is in jail because of it to put it like that. So if you guys ever do meet Emmett, don't bring up his parents." I never lied to anyone about what happened to them anymore, because they were my aunt and uncle, but also because me explaining it to people stopped awkward conversations in the future when Emmett was present.

"And I don't know, I used to lie a lot back then. Not something I'm too proud of but, its true. I apologize though." I said honestly, ducking my head slightly. At least stuff was being laid out in the open now, no matter how stupid I felt bout it. Edward nodded, going back to his chopping.

"Don't worry about it. It's all in the past. But, um, did you, uh, lie about anything else that day?" He asked hesitantly. Jasper stood up abruptly and walked over to the couch, turning the huge TV on to give us some privacy. Rosalie walked out too, going into another room, presumably her bedroom to change.

"No, I told the truth about everything else. And I meant all of it." I said quietly, gazing up at him through my lashes. He nodded, not looking up from his task.

I often used to speculate on how my life would have been if Edward came with me rather then stayed behind in Forks. Would we still be together? Would I have met Alice? Would I have walked out of my RV that night and get Roxanne? Would I have bothered to call Emmett as often if he was with me? How would my life had been if he'd only said '_yes_' back then?

I guess I'd never know, but I used to lay awake at night and think about it. I grabbed the ring that still hung around my neck. It wasn't something I was ashamed off, but it was a little private.

"Emmett told me you still had that," He commented after a moment of silence. My head snapped up, and he averted his gaze quickly when I caught him staring at my face rather then the ring. We were acting like young, fumbling teens.

Whatever happened to the confident Bella Swan I usually was?

"Yeah. I like the way it looks, and, well, it reminds me of you." I stuttered slightly, embarrassed. He grinned, dropping the knife as he pulled on a chain around his neck. My old ring fell on the front of his t shirt.

"Seriously?" I stared in shock at my old ring. It used to be my favorite, because my Grandmother had given it to me without Renee knowing it. It was also the prettiest ring I'd owned at the time.

Hopping off the bar stool, I made my way around the island and grabbed it lightly, staring at the old, worn sapphire stone. I could tell it had been worn, because it had lost some of it shine, and it had a small crack in it.

Edward grabbed his old ring too, the same silly grin on his face.

"You know, I had a hard time believing Emmett when he told me. I mean, five years is kind of a long time… But, I still have yours, so I guess I shouldn't be too surprised." He almost whispered, and I realized how close we were standing.

I backed away, trying to breath normally. Not only did he manage break my brain, he made it impossible for my lungs to function normally around him too. Who'd ever think Edward would be worse for my health then cigarettes?

He straightened up too, and was about to say something when the doorbell rang, signaling the arrival of one rowdy bunch. Edward excused himself to answer, so I grabbed a beer and plopped down between Rose and Jasper, feeling comfortable now that I was able to breath again.

"He is _so _into you," Rosalie whispered, giggling much like Alice would. I furrowed my brows, glancing over at her.

"He's been moping around the apartment for the past two weeks, looking for a job and a way to just bump into you on the street or something. He still doesn't have a job, but at least now he doesn't have to worry about not seeing you again." She winked, taking a swing of her own beer.

"Nathaniel! Nice to see you," She said seductively, making the guy who was very clearly gay grin at her. He sauntered over to the couch, kissing her lips lightly before he straightened up, standing with one hand on his hip.

"Honey, you need to touch up on those roots, this is just not acceptable." He said, and I almost expected him to snap his fingers in her face.

"Nathaniel, this is Bella Swan, an old friend from Washington. Bella, this is Nathaniel, Jasper and Edwards basketball buddy." She introduced us, ignoring his jab at her hair. I shook his manicured hand, and it was softer then a babies bottom.

"You play basketball?" I asked, surprised. He was probably ten times more girly then I could ever dream to be. Not in a drag queen kind of way, but there was definitely a hint of makeup on his handsome face.

"Please, as if I'd pass up an opportunity to grope any sweaty guy without a shirt on. Besides, it helps me stay in shape." He explained, sitting down next to Rose, crossing his legs in a very feminine way. I'm surprised his junk didn't scream out in pain.

"Bella, you should come meet everyone else." Edward said from the doorway, a kind smile on his face. I grinned back and stood up to meet the rest of their friends, who surprisingly enough seemed to all be males. Most of them were probably Rose's colleges, while I could tell that a few where defiantly strippers.

And, of course, they had a chubby friend, because the night just isn't complete without a chubby dude.

"It's nice not to be the only girl for once," Rose whispered in my ear before she pushed me into Edward, who caught me before I could spill anything. He kept his hand on my waist as I greeted everyone, sending chills through my whole body.

This was definitely going to be an interesting night.

* * *

**AN: Review :)**


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